Shadowchasers: Soulscape
by Cyber Commander
Summary: To cure the incurable curse, Jalal Stormbringer faces a challenge like none other. A story of the leader of the Shadowchasers by Cyber Commander
1. Common Interest

_Greetings, loyal readers, and welcome to my latest offering in the ongoing saga of the Shadowchasers. It's my birthday, and I thought I'd celebrate by giving everyone else a present. _

_In this short fic (much shorter than my usual fics, I assure you) I wanted to do three things:_

_One, feature the leader of the Shadowchasers as the star. It's rare that Jalal truly proves that he deserves to lead his organization, and in this fic, I hope to show that he does. _

_Two, I wanted to tie up a loose end that was left at the end of "Power Primordial"._

_Three, I wanted this fic to show that the Shadowchasers will be, from this point, not as biased against certain races as some people claim they are. Some readers have accused many characters of bigotry, which I admit, is a problem. I hope that, with the approach Jalal will take here, this fic will be a step in the right direction. _

_Enjoy…_

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**SHADOWCHASERS**

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**Soulscape**

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**A Fanfic by Cyber Commander**

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**DRAW ONE**

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**Common Interest**

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Shadowchaser Headquarters.

In a private room in the infirmary, a young woman lay asleep in a bed.

She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Monitors to her side recorded her heartbeat, breathing, and other vital signs…

The casual observer would never have guessed if they had just walked in that she was an ophidia; the snake-like race of humanoids who had traditionally been the enemies of humans for millennia. Under the bed sheets, she had a long, serpentine tail instead of legs. Her eyes that were now closed were reptilian underneath, and she had fangs that were visible when she smiled…

Something she hadn't done in a long time…

Watching from a couch at the foot of the bed was the only man who regularly came to visit her. He was a tall man, dressed in clothing that looked expensive, but almost a century out of date, with long, blonde hair, and very sharp features.

This was none other than Jalal Stormbringer, leader of the Shadowchasers, and his concern for the patient was great to say the least. He had fought dragons, giants, and terrible monsters that would make the strongest heroes show fear, and had defeated them all… He had rescued princesses and maidens so many times in the thousand years he had lived…

But the woman in front of him… She was one damsel in distress who he had thus far failed to save.

Some would call his concern for her foolish and out of place. A year ago, Hebi-Na (ophidia had no last names) was a dangerous criminal. She was a conspirator in a plot conceived by the spawn of Athentia, the being who had given Jalal his immortality. Sonja (that was the creature's name) sought revenge against Jalal for taking what she believed was rightfully hers, and planned to flood the Earth with the Deluge, gaining the Power Primordial in the process. In exchange for the ophidia's help, she would devolve them into their ancient forbearer race, which was amphibious, making them the rulers of the planet. Hebi-Na was a go-between for Sonja and the other conspirators, and an assassin who dealt with people who came close to learning too much.

But the plan failed, and Hebi-Na was the only apparent survivor among the conspirators. She was arrested, and her fate looked grim. The prosecution in her case seemed likely to suggest the Coffin of Stone, a rarely-used punishment that was only used when it was believed that the death penalty would not stop the threat that the criminal posed.

But as it turned out, Hebi-Na was not the last surviving conspirator… She had been working under the mantle of a cruel ophidia anathema named Taramanda who, by default, ruled the ophidia population as their Empress. Taramanda broke Hebi-Na out of prison, not to rescue her, but to inflict what she believed was a proper punishment for failure.

Hebi-Na was looking at becoming Taramanda's lunch, followed by becoming their dark goddess's slave, but she bargained for her life, telling the Empress that she knew where the Dark Synchros used by the Dark Signers were kept. She didn't know how she knew… It had simply come to her while in her jail cell. Hebi-Na eventually won the Dark Synchros, and Taramanda decided to start an elaborate campaign against the Shadowchasers.

It all worked well until it was discovered that both Hebi-Na and Taramanda were being used as pawns by an aboleth, a much crueler being. During a confrontation with Jalal, the aboleth's demonic servant brutally murdered Taramanda. Most of the Empress's followers gave up without a struggle, but Hebi-Na got away…

But where was she to go? She was still a fugitive, and had no future… There wasn't a Shadowkind in the world who would take her in now… She had rejected her race's oppressive goddess, but was not likely to be accepted by any other. She was ready to climb to the top of the Daedalus Bridge and jump off…

But before she did, she decided to get revenge against the being who had ruined her life. She confronted the aboleth in its lair and challenged it to a duel.

It was the worst mistake she had ever made. She was defeated, and the aboleth inflicted her with one of the cruelest curses known to man… The Bells of Baphomet.

The origin of this curse wasn't fully understood, but its name suggested that it had ties to demons in some way, likely very _powerful _ones. Certainly, the Abyssal Lord Baphomet was not a powerful enough entity to channel it, at least not on his own. Whatever its origins, a victim of the Bells of Baphomet would be constantly tortured by the din of horrible bells that only she could hear. No matter where the victim ran, no matter what she did to try to cover her ears, the hideous bells persisted. A victim could not sleep without magical aid, and would eventually be driven to madness.

After days, or perhaps weeks or this torture, the true effect of the curse struck the victim – she was attacked by a shadowy assassin called the Demon of the Bells. No witnesses had ever seen this creature strike – it always did so when the victim was alone. The victim was always found torn to shreds.

And no-one knew if this was the end of the curse. Some pessimistic theories suggested that the victim's soul might well be imprisoned somewhere after the Demon of the Bells struck.

The worst part was, there was no cure that mortals knew about, other than mercy-killing. Magical sleep could protect the victim, so long as she stayed asleep. Incantifers and other powerful sorcerers had been researching the curse since the days of Henry VIII, and were no closer to finding a cure than they were now.

The aboleth let poor Hebi-Na suffer for one hour, and then used a device to temporarily suppress the Bells. Then it commanded her to challenge the guide that was directing the Neo Domino Shadowchasers to a duel, giving her a powerful deck containing Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. Even though Hebi-Na lacked the skills to control a Sacred Beast, she had no choice but to agree.

Hebi-Na lost the duel, and the Bells started to torture her again. She pleaded with the Shadowchasers to kill her so that her suffering would stop, but as it turned out, the guide that she had dueled was a wizard who knew how to cast a few curses himself. A powerful incantation sent Hebi-Na into a deep slumber…

She had been in that slumber ever since… In her sleep, she was protected by the horrible Bells and their shadowy demon, but until a cure was found, she could never be allowed to wake up.

Never let it be said that the Shadowchasers were not sympathetic. Jalal granted Hebi-Na a full pardon for her crimes out of compassion. But as Jalal looked upon her now as he had so many times in the past year, he knew that it was cold comfort…

A man in a formal suit walked into the room. It was Martin Jabels, Jalal's assistant.

"I must say, sir," he said, "you're showing an awful lot of concern for that woman… Considering that she'd likely not show you the same."

Jalal sighed.

"A knight has to be chivalrous, Jabels," he said. "That's a concept that people seem to have forgotten the meaning of these days…"

Jabels nodded.

"You have to feel sorry for Shadowkind like Hebi-Na," continued Jalal. "She was born on the homeworld of Shadow… For all we know, she had parents, siblings… Maybe a lover or a husband, or even children…

"But she lost all her family and friends, and the memories of them when she was snatched by whatever brings Shadowkind to our world.

"When that happens to Shadowkind, they're confused and vulnerable, like lost children. They quickly try to find members of their own species, hoping to get help…

"Hebi-Na found help… But the ophidia community that took her in was the one ruled by Taramanda, whose hatred of humans and fanatical devotion to their demon goddess knew no bounds…

"It doesn't excuse what Hebi-Na did… But in the same sense, it isn't entirely her fault… You know what they say about society being to blame."

Jabels nodded.

"It is half past four," he said. "Will you be having dinner in the commissary?"

"No…" said Jalal, as he got up. "I'll be having it with a guest tonight…"

"Would this guest happen to be the young lass that came to your manor house this afternoon?" asked Jabels.

Jalal sighed.

He had tried very hard to keep Judy, his ward, concealed from everyone… After all, he was immortal, but she wasn't, and the possibility that an enemy might try to get to him through Judy was his biggest fear. Unfortunately, she was among the worst kept secrets in the Shadowchasers.

He simply nodded, and left the room.

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No-one would have pegged Jalal for being a gourmet, much less a cook, but he was both. He had traveled the world in his long lifetime, sampled the cuisine of foreign lands, and learned many skills. Indeed, he had several talents that many folks didn't know about, which would likely take a long time to list.

As he was standing over the stove in his manor house, Judy – a fifteen-year-old girl with half-dragon features similar to his – leaned against the counter reading _The Sword in the Stone, _a tabloid newspaper that was only available to Shadowkind and Aware humans.

"Listen to this," she said, with a hint of anger in her voice. "It says here, 'The biggest problem with the governing body of the Shadowchasers is their tyrannical leader, who seems to think that he rules his organization due to a Divine Right of Kings.'

"Pure drivel…"

"You don't say?" said Jalal. 

"Wait, there's more here," said Judy.

She opened a can of something and continued to read.

"'The Shadowchasers would be better off under a leader that more Shadows could relate to, rather than the bastard son of some lizard's concubine.'

"Are you going to take this? This is libel!"

Jalal turned around.

"It's not libel, Judy," he said. "When such things are published in transitory works, it's more accurately defined as slander."

He took the beverage – a high-caffeine energy drink – from her.

"Will you stop drinking these things? Do you realize that this little can has more sugar in it than a box of donuts?"

"Libel, slander…" said Judy. "This is all lies! Your mom was not your dad's concubine, and they were legally married! According to the law at the time…"

"True…" said Jalal. "Though I doubt that the parson who conducted the ceremony knew he was a dragon…

"Newspapers have also said that she was his slave girl, and others have said that she was one of a harem of concubines. Neither assertion was true…

"Judy, the fact is, I have had to endure slanderous attacks since the printed periodical replaced the town crier. In fact, I was worse off than many Mundane rulers. There was a time when an editor could be thrown in jail or even hanged for printing even a truthful story about a Mundane noble that had negative connotations. I had no such luck.

"If I filed defamation suits against all of them, I would not have time to run the Shadowchasers, or even have my morning coffee. I simply file editorials like this with all the others…"

He took the newspaper from her, and dropped it in a trash can by the counter. Then he held her by the arms.

"I can only hope, my dear," he said, "that when you become old enough to inherit the leadership of this organization from me, you will be thick-skinned enough to handle the insults that are directed at you. Because come they will, and being able to turn a blind eye to drivel is what differentiates a truly great leader from a leader that doesn't last long.

"I've been close friends with many Prime Ministers of Britain, United States Presidents, countless other heads of state, and they all knew the same thing. Even Churchill had to put up with this stuff, and he knew enough not to let it bother him."

The oven started to buzz.

"I believe the lasagna is ready…"

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Afternoon slowly turned into night. Judy fell asleep on an armchair. Half-dragons only had to sleep three hours out of every twenty-four, on average, but it had been a long day for her, and midterm exams had been last week.

Jalal sat in another chair, thinking hard. In his hand was a letter that had arrived in his office earlier today.

It had been what had made him decide to visit Hebi-Na. He had been doubtful about it, but interested as well. He slowly read it again.

_My Dear Mr. Stormbringer:_

_It seems strange that we have yet to meet. After all, I have been called on as a consultant by many members of the Incanterium (or Incantifers, as they like to be called) for matters regarding psychology. While I have yet to do any work for your organization, I hope to rectify that soon. _

_I would never claim to be the best at my field. That would be bragging. Still, I let my numerous degrees and awards speak for myself as evidence of my expertise in the fields of psychology and psychiatric medicine. _

_Anyway, on to the business at hand. For the past ten years, I have been working on perfecting a procedure that I believe will be of great use in treating mental illness. I have recently been using the procedure on volunteers, and I can say with great sincerity that it has been a success._

_Now, I doubt that this procedure will be approved for use by any medical or psychiatric organization for at least five more years at the earliest…_

_But with your permission, I believe that its use can aid you in a crisis that I heard was perplexing you a great deal… If my hypothesis is correct, I believe that this procedure can permanently silence the dreaded Bells of Baphomet. _

_I await your response. Until then, I am humbly at your service._

_Sincerely, _

_Dr. Jonathan Gelinas, MD_

_Chairman of Psychiatric Medicine_

_University of Vienna_

He read this letter several times.

To say he was skeptical was an understatement. The second paragraph had worried him. Any time someone tried to convince you that he was not an egotist it was usually a sure sign that he _was _one. The phrase "I would never claim to be the best in my field; that would be bragging" was a familiar one to Jalal. He had heard it (or some variation of it) many times in his career, and knew that when someone said it, he usually meant, "I am willing to accept any challenge from anyone who claims to be better."

And this Dr. Gelinas had not been the first one to come to him offering a cure for the Bells of Baphomet. Several obvious quacks had approached him.

Still… This had been the only offer that had been written on the letterhead of a very prestigious university…

He quickly took out a blackberry, and copied down the phone number that was included with the letter.

_I'll call tomorrow, _he thought. _It can't hurt to at least see what this is about…_

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_**Next:**_

_**Jalal: It seems that hope may exist for Hebi-Na. Dr. Gelinas comes to me and explains his procedure, and it seems crazy enough to actually work…**_

_**But at the same time, it has risks, and would likely put whoever conducted the procedure in great peril. What should I do?**_

"_**Unchartered Territory" is coming soon. **_


	2. Unchartered Territory

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**DRAW TWO**

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**Unchartered Territory**

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One week later, at nine AM Jalal was in his office, going over some papers.

His office speaker buzzed.

"Mr. Stormbringer?" said a secretary. "Dr. Gelinas is here to see you."

"Oh yes, send him in," said Jalal.

Jalal had Googled Dr. Jonathan Gelinas over the past week, and had studied his work quite extensively. It was very impressive. Along with the usual papers on psychiatric medicine, he had made quite a lot of unorthodox theories over the years, many of them relating to the relation between the body and the soul, between the mind and the soul, and between the soul and the afterlife. There were very few negative comments about him, other than the typical stuff you tend to hear about people in the psychiatric profession, and his contacts had shown that he had indeed worked extensively with many Incantifers.

The door to the office opened, and the secretary let a man in.

Dr. Jonathan Gelinas was a man who would stand out. He looked to be in his late fifties, was broad, stocky, and somewhat overweight. What hair he had left was grey. He wore a black business suit and red tie, and very thick glasses.

"Mr. Stormbringer," he said, as Jalal stood up to extend his hand. "It is a pleasure to finally get a chance to meet you at last."

His voice had a slight Germanic accent, and was deep and strong.

"Do have a seat," said Jalal. "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Uh, no thank you…" said the doctor. "Uhm… You wouldn't happen to have any vodka?"

"Kind of early for that, isn't it?" asked Jalal.

The doctor looked a little nervous.

"I… uh…" he said. "I have a weakness for a morning Bloody Mary. Oh, but where are my manners?"

He looked around at the photographs on the wall of the office.

"Interesting…" he said, focusing on one particular one. "You knew Churchill?"

Jalal nodded as they sat down.

"Dr. Gelinas…" he said. "I must say, your proposal letter struck me with… skepticism. Wizards have been trying to find a cure for the Bells of Baphomet for centuries…

"You don't claim to be skilled in wizardry at all… And yet you believe you can cure this affliction?"

"Quite right, quite right," said Gelinas, folding his hands. "I'm no wizard, but then, neither was Freud. Would you say that his accomplishments were any less useful, despite the fact that he was not skilled in magic?"

"Uhm, clearly not…" said Jalal, nodding.

He had once actually spoken to Freud, as a matter of fact. It happened at a dinner party he had attended in 1929. He had found the man a rather pessimistic fellow (as most people at the time did) but the conversation had been interesting.

"My procedure may be experimental," said Gelinas, "but it shows promise…

"You see, Mr. Stormbringer, ever since birth of my field of science, a psychologist's job has been to get into the heads of his patients… To enter their minds and see what is troubling them there…

"With my procedure, I can take that concept more literally than any psychologist in history has ever done…

"I can literally enter… The Soulscape…"

Jalal looked at him hard.

"Uh…" he said. "I can actually make an _excellent _Bloody Mary if you just give me five minutes…"

He wasn't kidding. Even though many connoisseurs of liquor had called the Bloody Mary "the world's most complex cocktail", Jalal could make a pretty decent one. He knew how to make more mixed drinks than the average bartender, even though he rarely drank himself.

As he opened the liquor cabinet next to his desk (kept primarily for guests for occasions like this) he realized that this discussion may well be a vital one…

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Six hours later, several men were gathered in a conference room.

All of them were members of the Shadowchaser Council, among them the ones in charge of R&D, the doctor who was in charge of the infirmary, and the one who was in charge of the branch of Shadowkind that covered the ophidia.

"So what's this all about?" asked one of them.

"The boss has someone coming in to discuss some new procedure that he's considering having used on that Hebi-Na woman," said another. "It's probably gonna be another boring PowerPoint lecture."

Then Jalal and Dr. Gelinas entered the room.

"PowerPoint, yes, gentlemen," said Jalal, "but from what Dr. Gelinas has told me, his procedure may well capable of performing a medical miracle. I suggest we all listen closely."

As he sat down, Gelinas took his place in the front of the room, next to a screen.

"Thank you, thank you," he said. "Ahem…"

The lights dimmed, and the screen came on. The first slide came on, showing seven golden objects that everyone in the room recognized.

"These are the seven Millennium Items," said Gelinas. "Artifacts of wondrous power, crafted in the days of the Pharaoh, three-thousand years ago.

"Each one had its own supernatural power, along with many powers that they all shared."

The second slide appeared, showing only the Millennium Key, an ankh-shaped device.

"The Millennium Key," he continued, "is the Item that always interested me. It was owned by a mysterious individual named Shadi, who claimed to be the guardian of the other Items. I believe that Shadi may have been a spirit of some sort, or perhaps a servant of a divine entity, but it is impossible to know for sure.

"In any case, he was able to use the Millennium Key to literally enter the mind of a sentient being. Once inside, he could gain information from the subject's memories. He could also brainwash the subject, or even enslave him if that was necessary."

"And how does this pertain to Hebi-Na?" asked one of the Council. "The Key was lost forever, along with the other Items."

"Well, switching the focus for a minute," said Gelinas, "and getting to the curse that she suffers from, the Bells of Baphomet.

"The curse manifests in the form of maddening bells that only she can hear. It is my belief that this horrible sound exists only in her mind. Possibly, it is due to a foreign intrusion in her psyche…

"Thus, it might be possible to use therapy to cure her… But… That is impossible via normal methods, because when awake, she would be unresponsive to therapy, due to the horrible ringing that is torturing her. A Catch-22, if you will.

"My procedure actually involves an invention which is way to change that…"

The next slide appeared, showing a large device that looked like a supercomputer.

"I give you, gentleman, the Bridge, as I call it," he said. "It is already patented, and has proven to be a success so far on volunteers.

"What this device does, in a nutshell, is use technology to do what the Millennium Key did with supernatural forces. It is a 'bridge', that lets your consciousness enter the mind of another."

"No… way…" said a member of the Council.

"Like in _The Exorcist_?" asked another.

"Not quite," replied Gelinas. "It isn't possession. I've found that the inside of a person's mind is sort of like a small world… A small reality where the soul lives. I call it a Soulscape. And it is actually inhabited. All aspects of the individual's personality inhabit this... Soulscape, if you will.

"When you use this device, and enter a person's mind, you can speak to the representations of his hopes, dreams, and fears! They are all inhabitants of the Soulscape.

"And if you stay long enough, you might, just might, be able to speak to the soul itself. A Soulscape is, of course, the soul's property. The soul is the ruler of the place.

"Now, the purpose of the Bridge is to aid mental illness. My original theory was that a mentally ill person might be mentally ill due a damaged Soulscape, and that by actually going in, it could be repaired.

"Humans and Shadowkind with psychic abilities can sometimes, but rarely, employ an ability called 'psionic surgery', which this procedure might make it possible for a non-psychic to do. One can go in, repair the Soulscape, and the mentally ill patient would, in theory, be cured. If the problem was, in fact, a damaged Soulscape.

"It may even be possible, eventually, to use this device to cure a joystealer. If the enslaved Eoshee were sedated, one could use this device to enter her mind and confront the Unseelie dominating her, using force to make it leave.

"But we now have a victim who it may help who does not have to be restrained. I believe that in the case of the Bells of Baphomet, it is _definitely _the case of an intrusion planted in this, her most personal of places."

"You've actually gone into the minds of these volunteers?" said another member of the Council. "You've been to these… Soulscapes?"

"Yes, I and my assistants have," said Gelinas. "I've found that the minds, or the Soulscapes, if you will, tend to be interesting places. They all tend to be different, depending on who the subject is, but…"

"Wait…" said Jalal. "A few questions before this goes any further…

"First off, have you used this procedure on an ophidia yet?"

"Uhm, well, no…" said Gelinas. "But seeing as ophidia are sentient beings, and have a brain structure similar to that of the average humanoid creature, I don't see…"

"And if we were to use this procedure on Hebi-Na…" said Jalal. "Perhaps to explore her mind, and see what exactly is causing the Bells of Baphomet… Who would be the one to make this… expedition?"

"Well," said Dr. Gelinas, "seeing as her life is in danger, I'd be willing to personally make the trip into her mind. I'm certain that I could…"

"No!" said Jalal, interrupting.

He stood up.

"Dr. Gelinas…" he said. "Your skills as a psychologist are commendable, and your invention may well earn you the Nobel Prize…"

"Uh, thank you?" replied the doctor.

"But…" continued Jalal. "It may well be too dangerous for you to enter Hebi-Na's mind. The 'foreign object' causing this curse might fight back with the intent to kill you! Lest we forget, this curse is named after a demon lord who is notorious for having an uncontrollable temper?"

"Hmm…" said Dr. Gelinas. "Yes, that is indeed a concern…"

Jalal looked at him long at hard.

"Dr. Gelinas," he said. "How soon can you have your equipment here?"

"Uh…" said Dr. Gelinas. "I can charter a freight car on the next train from Vienna, and have it here in two days…

"But didn't you just say we weren't going to do the procedure?"

"Oh, we are indeed…" said Jalal. "You will work the equipment…

"But someone else will make the expedition into Hebi-Na's mind…"

He paused as everyone looked at him.

"I will be making the journey personally…"

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Two days later, in Jalal's manor house, he had changed into a loose-fitting outfit, as Gelinas had told him to do.

He had followed the instructions to the letter – he had not eaten since dinner last night, and was not wearing jewelry either.

Judy was beside herself with worry.

"Has anyone else told you how crazy this sounds?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Jalal, "a number of people…

"But it's not like it's the first time I've gone into unchartered territory before, Judy. You're taking to someone who holds the record for the highest floor on the Wasting Tower of Khin-Oin reached by a non-yugoloth by someone who lived to tell about it – fifteen."

"The Wasting Tower of Khin-Oin?" said Judy, opening her eyes wide. "You mean the building in the center of the Grey Waste that looks like a huge spinal column that's taller than the Empire State Building?"

"Yeah," said Jalal. "Don't get any ideas, by the way…

"I know this is risky… I know this may be dangerous… But Dr. Gelinas has assured me that stopping the procedure if something goes wrong can be as easy as turning off a faucet.

"I know what I'm doing…"

He walked out of the room.

"Famous last words…" said Judy.

"I heard that…" said Jalal.

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It seemed like something out of a mad scientist's lab. The Bridge was set up in a large hospital room used for sleep studies, with two beds set up in front of it. Hebi-Na was lying on one, still fast asleep, with special devices hooked up to her forehead and temples. Several doctors and other personnel were watching, among them Jalal's assistant, Jabels.

Gelinas was in the process of using special medical glue to attach similar devices to Jalal, who was on the other bed.

He sighed as he attached the last one.

"Last chance to reconsider, Mr. Stormbringer," he said. "Are you certain you want to continue?"

"Positive," said Jalal. "For all we know, this may be Hebi-Na's only chance…"

He looked at Hebi-Na.

_I may be the only one who truly cares… _he thought. _Gelinas is likely doing this primarily to prove his brilliance…_

_But if I can save you, Hebi-Na… I'm willing to do anything…_

Gelinas turned some switches, and the machine hummed to life. Jalal reached over, and held Hebi-Na's hand.

"Remember…" said the doctor, "there may be some momentary discomfort…"

Jalal closed his eyes. He felt himself growing sleepy.

"Prepare yourself…" he heard Gelinas's voice say. "Prepare to enter the Soulscape!"

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_**Next: **_

_**Jalal: I've come to in a new place, a place inside Hebi-Na's very psyche. And it seems that my suspicions were correct… It is far from safe here. **_

_**My quest to save Hebi-Na from the forces invading her mind continues, in "Frontier", coming soon.**_

_**And I'll probably get to duel too. **_


	3. Frontier

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**DRAW THREE**

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**Frontier**

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Jalal opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was, he was wearing his armor. His red, dragon-skin armor that had been made from the hide of Malys, the greedy red wyrm that had been responsible for his father's death. It had protected him in every important battle ever since he avenged his father's death by slaying her.

His sword was at his side, and his special Duel Disk was on his arm.

He looked around. He was on a forest path. It seemed to be a warm, spring day, with clouds overhead.

He noticed many garter snakes on the path, and more snakes in the trees to either side of the path. There were also a few lizards and turtles. The fauna seemed to consist of a great deal of reptiles. He wasn't afraid of normal snakes of course, having fought many monstrous ones in the past.

_If I truly am in an ophidia's mind, _he thought, _it's hardly surprising. _

He saw a signpost a few feet down the path. He walked down, and saw that nothing was written on it; but it did point in one direction, so he ventured that way.

The forested path quickly gave way to an open field, and he saw it.

A large town was in front of him. It had come suddenly, almost by magic. He had not seen a town like this in centuries. It brought back memories of the quiet towns of Eighteenth Century England.

There were stores, houses, a smithy, an inn…

He saw a large manor house on the hill overlooking the town, not unlike his own back in Shadowchaser Headquarters. Someone important must have lived there…

_The soul? _he thought.

He noticed then that there were townsfolk about, and it was no surprise to him that they were all ophidia. They were dressed in clothing that also appeared to be typical of the Eighteenth Century.

The townsfolk all looked at him with sad looks, but didn't say anything. Many of them just shook their heads and continued along their way.

"I didn't exactly expect a parade…" said Jalal. "But…"

He went over to an ophidia wearing a milkmaid's outfit.

"Excuse me, ma'am…" he said. "Could you please direct me to…"

Then someone shouted, "They're coming!"

The milkmaid gave a look of panic, and rushed into the inn across the street. Everyone else followed suit, running into houses, stores, and other buildings, slamming the doors behind them.

Jalal looked around in wonder. Who was coming?

"You there!" shouted a voice.

He turned, and saw an old-looking ophidia at the door of what looked like a toy store. He was a broad-shouldered ophidia, the only main reptilian trait being the green scales he had in place of skin. He had a well-trimmed goatee, a slight mammalian trait.

"Me?" said Jalal.

"Yes, you!" shouted the ophidia toymaker. "Don't just stand there! Get in here, fast! If they see you, you'll be in big trouble!"

Jalal didn't know what to make of this, but he rushed into the toy store. The owner slammed the door closed, and barricaded it shut.

Jalal peered out the window, just as a small gang of creatures marched into view.

They were thin, almost gaunt, with human torsos and arms, but the heads and legs of goats that seemed to be infected with some terrible wasting disease. Each one carried a serrated halberd.

"Bulezai…" said Jalal, with a sneer.

He had seen these demons before. Bulezai were shock troops in demonic armies of the Blood War, who existed only to fight. They weren't very bright, but fighting was something that they did very well. When a bulezai saw an enemy, it charged. When it didn't see an enemy, it went looking for one.

So why was a group of them on patrol? And in Hebi-Na's mind no less?

Jalal looked at the ophidia toymaker.

"So…" he said. "Exactly who are you? And why is there a toy store in Hebi-Na's psyche?"

He looked around. The merchandise of the store consisted mainly of toy lizards and ophidia, made into marionettes, stuffed plushies, and other playthings. Smiling alligators and funny-looking geckos adorned the shelves. Jalal supposed they looked like the toys an ophidia would play with as a child…

Two toys in particular caught his eye. They looked like stuffed versions of the Duel Monsters Oshaleon and Majioshaleon, cute, colorful lizards.

"My name is Guiseppe," he replied. "You know how some people have an inner child? A child within? That's kind of what I am to Hebi-Na.

"The soul… The one that you'd recognize as Hebi-Na… She was coming here more frequently…

"And then…"

"Then what?" asked Jalal.

"She disappeared," said Guiseppe. "It was around the same time those awful things started making their patrols.

"Look, I don't know much… For all intents and purposes, I'm just a toymaker in this place…"

"I want to help," said Jalal. "And I think I have to find Hebi-Na."

Guiseppe looked at him.

"Go down the street once the coast is clear," he said. "There's a tavern called the Fang and Flagon. It's the one place in the Soulscape where you're completely safe. The demons never go into there.

"And the bartender might be able to help you… He knows more about Hebi-Na than most folks here. She's very close to him.

"You see… He's her father…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Fifteen minutes later, Jalal cautiously walked down the street, towards the place that the toymaker had pointed to. He hated sneaking around… He had always been more of a take-charge person. But perhaps it was wise to stay concealed for now.

He looked at the building that Guiseppe had called the Fang and Flagon. The sign above the door was in ophidian, but he knew enough about that language to make it out. He had learned many Shadowkind tongues in his long lifespan.

Frankly, he wondered why _anyone _spoke English here. He wondered if, possibly, everyone _was _speaking ophidian here, and he had simply adapted to it. But there was no time to contemplate this. He went in.

Inside, the place wasn't very crowded. A few ophidia were around, slowly sipping from glasses, while another old-looking ophidia was at the bar, wiping it down with a rag. His most unusual feature was the velvet mask he wore over his face. No features were visible.

He looked up as he saw Jalal.

"You're out of your territory, aren't you fellah?" he said.

Jalal sat on the barstool in front of him.

"Kind of," he replied. "So… you're Hebi-Na's dad?"

The bartender nodded. He took a glass, and started pouring something into it from a bottle.

"At least I assume I am," he said. "And everyone else thinks so… Folks around here call me Malore."

He pushed the beverage towards Jalal.

"…but you see, Hebi-Na has almost no memories of her father that she can accurately bring to her mind. See the mask? Even I don't know what I look like under it. She can't remember her father's face…

"All she has are certain feelings that sometimes come to the front of her mind… Feelings that could only have come from a father… Those feelings come from me.

"This building you're in… It's kind of like her subconscious… All her fleeting memories are here… Distant figments of the past that she lost when she made the transition from the homeworld of Shadow."

Jalal picked up the beverage and was about to drink.

Then he stopped.

"Uh, this is viperwine…" he said.

Viperwine was a type of brandy made from the venom of an Indian viper. Reptilian Shadowkind, including ophidia, were very fond of it. The problem was, it was poisonous to non-reptiles. Jalal could drink it safely, seeing as poison couldn't kill it, but mammals who were immune to poison found that it didn't taste very good to them.

Malore laughed nervously.

"Sorry…" he said, taking it back. "We don't exactly get many folks here who aren't ophidia…"

He placed a bottle of normal beer on the counter.

"Look, I came here to help Hebi-Na," said Jalal. "You know, the soul? Where is she?"

Malore sighed.

"No-one is sure," he said. "It all started when horrible bells rang through the whole Soulscape for about an hour…

"Then they stopped. Hebi-Na was on edge for a while, and everyone was worried that this town would fall apart… That madness would strike… If the soul goes mad, so does everyone else.

"The bells started again, but only for a minute or two, but then they stopped. I think Hebi-Na was asleep, and she was happy for a few hours… A blissful state of dreams…

"But then those demons showed up. Whether they were a nightmare gone haywire or some horrible memory that she had kept suppressed all her life, no-one knew. A gang of them rushed Hebi-Na, and dragged her away. She hasn't been seen since.

"Now they patrol the streets every hour, saying that they're in charge and that the soul's house is off-limits…"

"The manor house?" asked Jalal.

"That's right," replied Malore. "Anyone who so much as talks back to them is publically punished… Put in stocks or pilloried, or even flogged.

"But don't worry… They'll never come in this building… They can't for some reason. You're safe here…"

He sighed.

"Safe to a point, that is. Sometimes they get frustrated and burn the place down… But you destroy a building here, and it comes back, fully rebuilt when the sun rises."

"So the demons never come in this building?" asked Jalal.

"Nope," replied Malore.

"Then I'm going _out _of this building," said Jalal.

He grabbed the beer bottle, and started for the door.

"Wait!" shouted Malore, as he ran up and grabbed his arm. "Reconsider, I beg you… Hebi-Na was the most powerful being in the Soulscape, and they took her away like she was nothing more than a helpless child!"

"But I have a feeling she was mentally exhausted and wounded at the time," replied Jalal. "Let's see how those demons do against someone who can fight back." 

He walked out, and looked down the street.

His eyes narrowed. He saw a gang of the bulezai hanging around a fountain down the road. They were laughing, and drinking from bottles of malt liquor.

As Jalal walked up to them, one of them looked at the statue of a female ophidia in the center of the fountain.

"Ten points if you can hit her between the eyes," he said to another one.

The bulezai hurled the bottle, and hit the statue directly between the eyes.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Bull's eye!"

Then the beer bottle stuck him in the back of the head.

"OW!" he shouted. "Who dares…"

They turned and saw Jalal.

"You don't like it, do you?" said Jalal.

He drew his sword.

"Where's Hebi-Na?" he demanded.

"Oh, look at this!" laughed the bulezai he had hit. "Seems someone around here actually has a backbone!"

They howled, and rushed at him. Jalal tensed. This was no problem.

He struck the lead bulezai with his sword, hard. But to Jalal's surprise, while the blow knocked the demon down, it didn't cut him at all.

Jalal continued to fight. His sword plowed into the demons, knocking them backwards, but it seemed that his sword that was normally able to cut down a large tree with one swipe couldn't draw blood at all.

As the bulezai got up, there was a loud screech. A large, bird-like creature flew overhead…

Then it slowly landed.

Jalal tensed again. It was a different demon, this one with the torso and arms of a human, but the legs, head, tail, and wings of an ugly vulture. It was a vrock.

Like bulezai, vrocks were warriors who lived to fight in the Blood War, but they were far more powerful. In the chaotic armies of the abyss, soldiers didn't really have rankings – whoever was stronger told everyone weaker than him what to do.

It didn't take long for Jalal to surmise that, thus, this vrock was in charge of these bulezai.

"Silly mortal!" laughed the vrock. "Sword not work here. This realm of thought. Sword not kill us no matter how hard you try. You can't kill thought."

"By the same notion," said Jalal, "your weapons can't harm me."

The vrock cackled.

"Brittlebeak still defeat you," said the vrock.

It lifted its left arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on it. It looked like the type commonly used by Duel Spirits.

"Brittlebeak duel you in Shadow Duel," said the vrock, "and then you be sorry you ever came here."

"Oh, is that right?" said Jalal.

He sheathed his sword, and lifted his Duel Disk.

"No dirty bird is going to make a fool of me," he said. "I haven't gotten into a good duel in a long time… You're on!"

The two Duel Disks activated.

"Duel!" they both shouted.

**(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (Brittlebeak: 8,000)**

"Brittlebeak draw card," said the demon, making a draw.

"Set Monster on field, and one card facedown," he continued.

Two set cards appeared in front of him, one vertical, and one horizontal.

"I no go no more. You go now…"

_This shouldn't be too hard, _thought Jalal, as he made a draw. _He certainly doesn't seem very smart. _

"I summon… Axe Dragonute!" he exclaimed.

He played the card, and a tall, humanoid Dragon with black scales and wings, holding a large axe, materialized in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"And now he attacks!"

Axe Dragonute charged, and a large boulder with a face on it appeared on the set card. The Dragon's axe fell, and it was smashed to pieces.

"You destroy Koa'ki Meiru Boulder," said Brittlebeak. "Now I use its effect to take Koa'ki Meiru Monster from deck."

A card appeared in his hand.

"And my Axe Dragonute moves to Defense Mode," said Jalal, as Axe Dragonute knelt and held his weapon down. (1,200 DEF) "I end my turn."

"I draw," said Brittlebeak, making a draw. "Then, Trap Card activate."

His set card lifted up.

"Jar of Greed. Now, I draw card…"

He made a draw.

"Next, summon Koa'ki Meiru Urnight…"

A new Monster appeared. It looked like a centaur clad in bronze armor and barding, holding a shield and a sharp lance. (2,000 ATK)

"Now, use Koa'ki Meiru Urnight's effect," continued Brittlebeak. "Reveal Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in hand…"

He flipped a card in his hand around.

"…then Special Summon another Koa'ki Meiru from deck. Choose Koa'ki Meiru Crusader."

Another large Monster appeared. This one was wearing the armor of a knight, but it was hulking, and had a sunken, skull-like face. It held a massive, two-handed sword in only one hand. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, I attack Monster with Koa'ki Meiru Crusader!" shouted Brittlebeak. "Smash Dragon to little pieces!"

The Koa'ki Meiru hit Axe Dragonute with its sword so hard that the ground shook, blowing it to bits.

"Now use Crusader's effect," said Brittlebeak. "When Crusader destroys Monster, I take Koa'ki Meiru Monster from Graveyard."

Koa'ki Meiru Boulder slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.

"Now that Crusader took care of Monster," said Brittlebeak, "Urnight takes care of you! Direct attack!"

The centaur charged at Jalal. The leader of the Shadowchasers frowned. Then he lifted his arm, and blocked the blow with his gauntlet.

"You'll have to do better than that, fellah," said Jalal.

**(J: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - (B: 8,000)**

Brittlebeak looked at Jalal in disbelief.

"Uh…" said the vrock. "I end turn… That mean Koa'ki Meiru Crusader goes boom unless I discard Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from hand or show Beast-Warrior Monster in hand… So…"

He flipped a card in his hand around, Gene-Warped Warwolf.

"Then do same thing so Koa'ki Meiru Urnight not go boom…"

He flipped the same card around again.

Meanwhile, many ophidia were watching from the safety of their homes. Guiseppe was watching with a female ophidia.

"He shrugged off that direct attack like it was nothing!" exclaimed the toymaker. "Who is he?"

"Hebi-Na mentioned him before," said the woman. "He may be the one who can save her…"

Jalal drew a card.

Then he played a Spell Card.

"I activate… Hand Destruction," he said. "Now, we must each send two cards in our hands to the Graveyard, and then draw two replacements."

Brittlebeak looked at his hand, and then discarded two cards.

"That's it," said Jalal, making two discards.

They both made two draws.

"Now," said Jalal, as he played another card, "I play Dragon's Mirror!"

Two Monsters, Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared behind him.

"Because I just sent these two Monsters to my Graveyard, I can remove them from play to fuse them together…"

The two Monsters combined into a swirl of dark energy.

"Forming the mighty King Dragun!"

With a roar, a much bigger Dragon appeared on the field. From the waist up, it was Lord of Dragons, holding a staff that was modeled after the Flute of Summoning Dragons. From the waist down, it was a large, serpentine Dragon. (2,400 ATK)

"Next, by using King Dragun's effect," continued Jalal, as he took a card from his hand, "I can Special Summon a Dragon every round. Like Tyrant Dragon!"

In an explosion of fire, an even bigger Dragon, with red scales and large wings burst onto the field. It certainly did not look friendly as it looked at Brittlebeak and the two Koa'ki Meirus. (2,900 ATK)

The bulezai all cowered in fright. Brittlebeak seemed a little braver, but even he was visibly nervous.

"Now, my Tyrant Dragon attacks Koa'ki Meiru Urnight!" shouted Jalal. "Destroy him! Imperial Inferno!"

Tyrant Dragon exhaled a blast of flame, striking the centaur and burning it to ashes.

"And now, because you still have a Monster," continued Jalal, "Tyrant Dragon gets a second attack!"

Tyrant Dragon blasted a second wave of fire, incinerating Koa'ki Meiru Crusader.

"And I'm not done with you!" shouted Jalal. "King Dragun, attack him directly! Twilight Burn!"

King Dragun blasted a bolt of black fire from his staff, hitting the vrock and knocking him down. The bulezai dove for cover.

**(J: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - (B: 3,700)**

"Get up, worms!" cursed Brittlebeak, as he himself struggled to get up. "Brittlebeak not lose yet! Brittlebeak still crush this accursed mortal."

"Is that so?" asked Jalal. "Seems you're in big trouble, fellah…"

He took two cards from his hand.

"I haven't Normal Summoned, this turn," he said, "so I'll set a Monster. Then I'll set a card facedown."

Two set cards appeared, one in his Spell Zone, and one in his Monster Zone.

"I end my turn…"

"Brittlebeak draw…" said the vrock, drawing a card.

Then he squawked in delight.

"Brittlebeak like draw!" he said. "Remove Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in hand from play…"

He held up the card, and it vanished.

"…to Special Summon Dragon that's better than yours… Koa'ki Meiru Maximus!"

There was a cyclone of eerie energy, and a gaunt, silvery Dragon that seemed to be at least partially mechanical appeared in front of him. (3,000 ATK)

"Now, summon another Koa'ki Meiru," he said. "Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak."

A grim-looking Warrior wearing black armor, a cloak, and a mask holding two swords appeared next to the Dragon. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack King Dragun!" shouted Brittlebeak.

Maximus unleashed a volley of lightning bolts at the Fusion Monster, blowing it to particles.

"Next, Bergzak attacks set Monster…"

The Warrior rushed at the hidden Monster. Masked Dragon appeared on the card, and with two slashes of swords, was cut to pieces.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect!" shouted Jalal. "I Special Summon Golem Dragon in Defense Mode!"

A big, wingless Dragon that seemed to be made entirely out of rock appeared where Masked Dragon had been, and covered itself with large claws. (2,000 DEF)

"Mmm," said Brittlebeak. "Move to Main Phase 2, and use effect of Koa'ki Meiru Maximus to destroy Tyrant Dragon."

The large Dragon exploded into shards. The bulezai cheered and threw coins.

_He was smarter than I thought, _thought Jalal. _He realized that Maximus' effect wouldn't work on my Dragons unless he got rid of King Dragun first…_

"I end turn," said Brittlebeak. "So, I send Koa'ki Meiru Boulder from hand to Graveyard so Maximus not go boom…"

He discarded the card.

"Then I show you Koa'ki Meiru War Arms in hand to keep Bergzak too."

He flipped the card in his hand around.

**(J: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - (B: 3,700)**

Jalal drew a card.

"All right, demon," he said, as he played it, "I'm playing Card of Variation.

"I get to draw two cards now… But at the end of my turn, I either have to discard a card from my hand, or I lose 3,000 Life Points."

He made two draws.

Then his facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

Axe Dragonute reappeared. (2,000 ATK)

"Why you no use Call of the Haunted to bring back King Dragun?" asked Brittlebeak.

"Because I'm summoning someone better," said Jalal with a grin. "Next, I summon Luster Dragon…"

He played the card, and a large Dragon that seemed carved out of sapphire appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, I play the Double Summon Spell Card," he said, as he played another card. "Now I can Normal Summon another Monster.

"Of course, I truly doubt that 'ganging up' is a concept that I have to explain to you guys!

"I summon Magna Drago!"

A small Dragon with flaming red scales appeared next to the other two Dragons. (1,400 ATK)

"You summon Tuner Monster?" gasped Brittlebeak.

"That I did!" replied Jalal. "And now I Tune together Magna Drago, Luster Dragon, and Axe Dragonute…"

The three Dragons soared into the sky. Magna Drago turned into three rings of energy, and Luster Dragon and Axe Dragonute flew threw them, slowly dissolving into a cluster of glowing stars. Jalal started to chant.

"_The elemental forces concealed within these creatures will combine into an engine of raw destruction!"_

**(*2 + *4 + *4 = *10)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Trident Dragion!"_

The biggest Dragon yet towered over the field. Like a modern-day King Ghidorah, it had no limbs except for two huge wings, and three fierce Dragon heads. (3,000 ATK)

"Now, I activate its effect," continued Jalal. "I can destroy up to two of my own cards…"

Call of the Haunted and Golem Dragon shattered.

"…and for each one, Trident Dragion gains an extra attack!"

He took the last card in his hand.

"Now I play… Battle-Tuned! By removing my Tuner Monster in my Graveyard from play…"

He took Magna Drago from his discard slot.

"…my Monster on the field gains Attack Points equal to its Attack Points!"

(4,400 ATK)

"Attack Koa'ki Meiru Maximus!" shouted Jalal. "First Flame Strike!"

The giant Dragon roared, and exhaled a mighty blast of fire. The Koa'ki Meiru exploded in a mighty blast as its core ruptured.

"Now for its second attack!" shouted Jalal. "Second Flame Strike!"

Trident Dragion blasted another mighty burst of flame, obliterating Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak.

Jalal was about to give the order for the third attack…

But then, he realized that he didn't have to.

**(J: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - (B: 0)**

"It's over already?" said Jalal. "What a shame…"

Brittlebeak was lying on the ground, his feathers burned, moaning in pain…

"He's too powerful!" screamed one of the bulezai.

"What's Lord Norg going to say?" screamed another one.

They all turned to flee, but Jalal was not finished. He made a rush for the one who had spoken last, and grabbed him.

"Oh, I'd actually _love _to hear what this Lord Norg fellow has to say," he said to the bulezai.

"So take me to him! NOW!"

"Y-y-y-yes sir…" stammered the bulezai.

_Demons… _thought Jalal. _Typical bullies. They're all so tough until someone stronger comes along. Then they're nothing but cowards…_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**CARD OF VARIATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A Duel Monsters card floating in clear water.

**Card Description: **Draw 2 cards. At the End Phase of your turn, either discard 1 card from your hand or take 3,000 points of damage.

_Note: Card of Variation was first used by Kenzan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Primal Instinct". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.  
><em> 

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next: **_

_**Jalal: I meet the demon who claims to be in charge, a more powerful, and more loathsome creature called Lord Norg. Clearly, this guy won't go down as easy as Brittlebeak did. And even if I defeat him, I don't know if I can force him to tell me where Hebi-Na is…**_

_**I don't blame the townsfolk for cowering in fear. Demons are horribly cruel creatures. But I may have an ally yet in this Soulscape… Someone else who has the guts to fight them…**_

"_**Contact" is coming soon. **_


	4. Contact

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DRAW FOUR**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Contact**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

The nervous bulezai led Jalal up the hill towards the manor house. As they got close to it, Jalal realized that something was wrong.

Loud sounds of chewing, gobbling, and belching were coming from inside. Clearly, a very rude feast was going on inside.

When they walked inside, Jalal stared in a state of shock. The inside of the house was totally different from what the town would suggest. The town was seemed to be set in the Middle Ages… But this was far more modern. All the conveniences of the 21st Century were here… Electric lights, air conditioning…

As the bulezai led him down the hall, he glanced into a side room and saw a wide-screen TV and a modern stereo.

_The town must have reflected her early life… _thought Jalal. _The homeworld of Shadow…_

_But this house… It must be more recent years…_

Still, the sounds of the rude eating were still ruining the place, and a vile stench made it clear that all was not well. The bulezai led him to a door of what he assumed was a dining room.

The stench was worse as the bulezai opened the door, dodging to avoid a thrown bone that appeared to have come from a ham hock as he did.

Jalal looked in disgust. Sitting at a long table laden with plates of foot was a large, broad, incredibly fat demon that resembled a hideous toad-like creature with bony, hornlike protrusions ridging his forehead. He was clearly preoccupied with stuffing as much of the food as possible into his huge mouth. As Jalal walked in, he took a plate of Cornish hens and devoured them, bones and all, the same way a human would eat chicken nuggets.

Jalal recognized this type of demon too. It was a hezrou, a greedy, selfish creature with no manners. Far more powerful than a vrock, hezrou were minor nobles in the abyss, using their personal power to bully others into serving them, using intimidation and slaves to be waited on hand and foot, and rarely ever doing anything resembling real work. Of course, there were demons more powerful than hezrou, and when such demons were around, hezrou quickly assumed a groveling, toadying attitude in hopes of getting in good graces with them.

The demon paused to let loose a very loud belch. Then he resumed eating.

"Lord Norg!" said the bulezai. "This outsider defeated Brittlebeak, and he demands to talk to you!"

"Oh, he does, does he?" said the hezrou, between chews.

He looked up, and looked at Jalal.

"Bah," he said.

"Where's Hebi-Na?" demanded Jalal.

Norg picked up a large mutton leg, and devoured it in three bites. Then he threw the bone at Jalal, who effortlessly dodged aside.

"Scram!" said the hezrou, with his mouth full. "Can't you see I'm eating?"

Jalal walked up to the table, grabbed hold of the edge with one hand, and then flicked his wrist, upsetting the table, dumping everything on the floor.

Norg looked at the upset table for a few minutes, stunned beyond belief.

Then he looked at Jalal. A look of incredible anger appeared on his face.

He got up off his chair. Jalal flinched a little. Norg stood seven feet tall, and was five feet broad.

"Now you've done it…" said the demon, with a scowl, as he walked up to Jalal.

"I want to know where Hebi-Na is, big guy," demanded Jalal.

"Oh, you have guts, Stormbringer," said Norg. "You may be big stuff in the real world, but this is my house, got it?"

He punctuated the sentence by shoving Jalal in the chest. However, to his disappointment, it didn't knock Jalal over.

"Is that supposed to scare me, toad?" asked Jalal. "This house belongs to Hebi-Na, and just looking around, you've not only stolen it, you've befouled it. I may have dumped your lunch onto the floor, but I only did so because it was impossible to make this place a bigger mess than it already was.

"I don't even want to know condition the bathroom is in…"

Norg crossed his arms and looked at Jalal.

"You know, Stormbringer…" he said. "In Blood War armies, the rank and file of the armies of Hell consists mainly of creatures called lemures and nupperibo. Lemures are created from newly arrived souls of the damned. Nupperibo, on the other hand, are created when devils who have failed their masters are demoted.

"Both kinds of devils are very weak, individually… no stronger than say, goblins. Weak, pathetic, slavering, and nearly mindless. But they share something in common with you; they're hard to kill. They'll regenerate from the smallest piece of flesh, or even their burnt ashes.

"One way to kill them permanently is by using holy water or sanctified weapons…"

"But you guys don't like to use that stuff, I gather," said Jalal.

"Right," said Norg. "It hurts us too. But there's another way of making sure these things stay dead…"

He grinned.

"Lemures and nupperibo are also killed permanently if a demon eats them," he said. "You see, if a fiend's essence is consumed by another, it is permanently destroyed.

"I often wonder… If that trick works on other creatures that supposedly can't be killed…"

Jalal drew his sword.

"Just try it, fatso," he said.

Norg grinned, and a large Duel Disk appeared on his arm.

"Calm down Stormbringer, I was kidding," he said.

"Maybe…"

Jalal glared at him. The "maybe" may well have meant, "I'm deadly serious".

"You've already found out that in this realm of thought, your sword won't do much," said Norg. "That's right… I'm not as oblivious as you may think to that little skirmish you had down in the town square. The only way to fight here that gets anywhere is by dueling…

"You want to know where Hebi-Na is? Well, it's no skin off my nose if I tell you… But there's no way I'll tell you without a fight.

"And if you think I'll be as easy as that dumb vrock was, you clearly don't deserve the reputation you've earned."

Jalal lifted his Duel Disk, and both Disks activated.

"Duel!" they shouted.

**(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Norg: 8,000)**

"I'm going first, pal," said Norg.

He made a draw.

"I'll summon Familiar Knight in Attack Mode…"

A knight in shining armor, holding a sword and a shield appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)

"What, did I confuse you?" asked Norg, looking at Jalal. "Maybe you're expecting Fiends because I'm a demon… Or Frogs because I look like one…"

"You're a being of Chaos…" said Jalal. "Nothing would surprise me."

"And proud of it!" laughed Norg, as he fit two more cards into his Disk.

They appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"I'll end with those."

Jalal made a draw.

"I summon… Magna Drago," he said.

He played the card, and the fiery Dragon Tuner appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Going to attack?" asked Norg. "Be careful… You should know, Stormbringer, in a conflict between a knight and a dragon, it usually tends to turn out badly for the dragon…"

Jalal ignored him.

_He wants me to destroy Familiar Knight, _he thought. _He wants to use its effect. Well… Far be it for me to disappoint him…_

_I have Axe Dragonute in my hand… Let's see him Special Summon a Level 4 Monster that's stronger than that…_

"Attack!" he shouted. "Destroy Familiar Knight!"

Magna Drago launched a stream of fire from its jaws, and Familiar Knight groaned. It shattered into pixels.

"Due to Magna Drago's effect," said Jalal, "when it destroys a Monster, it gains 200 Attack Points."

(1,600 ATK)

"And due to Familiar Knights effect," replied Norg, "both players are allowed to Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from our hands.

"The Monster I choose… Is Chainsaw Insect!"

There was a roar of chainsaws, and a large beetle with chainsaw blades on its mandibles appeared. (2,400 ATK)

Jalal looked at it in shock.

_I was wrong, _he thought. _That is stronger than Axe Dragonute…_

_Change of plans…_

"I'll use that effect to Special Summon Golem Dragon," he said. "In Defense Mode."

The large, wingless, rocky Dragon appeared. (2,000 DEF)

"And so long as he's on the field, you're only allowed to attack him. I end my turn."

**(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,800)**

Norg drew a card.

"I summon The Bistro Butcher," he said.

He played the card, and there was a chackling noise. A demon dressed in a chef's outfit with a bloodstained apron appeared, with a meat hook in place of his left hand, holding a large cleaver in his right. (1,800 ATK)

"You do realize," said Jalal, "if you attack with those two Monsters, I'll get to draw three cards, right?"

Norg grinned. It was a very unpleasant grin. It was mostly teeth and very little actual grin.

"And that's the whole idea, isn't it?" asked Jalal.

One of Norg's facedown cards lifted up.

"That's right, Stormbringer," he said. "The Trap Card, Greed! This insidious Trap punishes a player who makes additional draws, dealing 500 points of damage for each extra card!

"So, my Chainsaw Insect can only attack your Golem Dragon? No problem!"

The chainsaws roared, and the big bug rushed at Golem Dragon, smashing it into a pile of pebbles.

"Well?" asked Norg.

Jalal drew a card, and a dagger appeared in the air. It quickly struck, stabbing into his shoulder.

"Now, Bistro Butcher, turn Magna Drago into chop suey!"

The Fiend made a fierce cut with his cleaver, beheading the small Dragon. Jalal grit his teeth nervously.

"Now, you draw two cards…" said Norg.

Jalal made two draws, and two daggers appeared, stabbing into his chest.

"Ever hear the phrase 'too much of a good thing' Stormbringer?" asked Norg. "Well, now you're living it!"

"My turn is over…"

**(J: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,800)**

_He's right, _thought Jalal. _He is better than that vrock…_

He drew a card.

_But I can still defeat him… There's a downside to making me make extra draws…_

"I summon Luster Dragon #1," he said.

He played the card, and the beautiful Dragon sculpted out of sapphire appeared. (1,900/1,600)

"Next," he said, as he played a Spell Card, "I play Stamping Destruction. Now I can not only wipe out a key part of your strategy, but deal out 500 points of damage in the process."

Luster Dragon lifted its foot, and stamped it down hard, sending a shock wave that shot towards the Trap Card. Norg grinned, and his second Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Imperial Custom!" he shouted.

The shockwave died down to a ripple, and then vanished completely.

"Now you can't destroy any of my Continuous Traps except that one," he said.

Jalal frowned.

"Luster Dragon, attack The Bistro Butcher!" he shouted. "Sapphire Flash!"

The Dragon fired a bolt of blue energy, and the demon chef was blown into shards.

"Grrr…" growled Norg.

Jalal looked at another Spell Card in his hand, and then at a Trap Card.

He set the Trap Card, and then nodded.

**(J: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,700)**

Norg frowned, and made a draw.

"Chainsaw Insect, eviscerate his Dragon!" he shouted.

The large Insect rushed towards the Dragon…

"Activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Jalal, as his Trap Card shot up.

Norg snarled, as his Monster bounced off an invisible barrier.

"Seems that I benefitted from that attack," said Jalal. "And not by drawing a card."

"I'll set this, and these…" said Norg.

He fit all three of his cards on his Disk, and a set Monster followed by two facedown cards in his Spell Zone appeared.

"It's your move…"

**(J: 8,600) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,700)**

Jalal made a draw.

"I play… Dragon's Gunfire," he said, as he played the Spell Card he was considering last turn. "It has two effects, and the one I choose is the one that lets me vanquish a Monster with 800 or fewer Defense Points."

"Wait…" said Norg. "ARGH! Chainsaw Insect has zero Defense Points!"

"You got it," said Jalal.

Luster Dragon launched a ball of flames, and Chainsaw Insect erupted in blue fire. It collapsed, burning into a bonfire of flaming bug residue.

"Next, I'll sacrifice Luster Dragon…" continued Jalal.

His Dragon turned into an orb of light.

"…for Genesis Dragon!"

A larger Dragon with scales of silver and crimson and only two limbs (aside from its wings) appeared in a blast of lightning. Electricity crackled in the air around it. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I use its effect," he continued. "By tossing one Dragon, I get to recover another."

He discarded Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and took Luster Dragon from his discard slot.

"Attack his Monster!" shouted Jalal. "High-voltage blast!"

Genesis Dragon roared, and shot a mighty bolt of lightning at the Monster…

But what actually appeared on the card came as a _big _surprise. It looked like a statue of a man made out of cinderblocks, bulky and heavy-looking. The only sign that it might be a living thing was a grate on the front of the face with a dark opening underneath. (2,700 DEF)

The bolt of lightning simply glanced off its stony hide.

"How…" gasped Jalal. "How could you… possibly have Destiny Hero – Defendguy?"

"This is a realm of thought, Stormbringer," chuckled Norg. "Specifically, Hebi-Na's thoughts.

"She loved watching old footage of Pro League duels, and Edo Phoenix's career was one that she studied closely. She knew enough facts about some of his cards for me to search her memories for information about this card, and learn enough to make my own version.

"In a Soulscape, going through the memory is like doing research in a library, but with more tools at your disposal. If a card exists in Hebi-Na's memory, it's possible for someone to have it if he searches hard enough."

Jalal looked at him.

"I end my turn…"

**(J: 8,100) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,700)**

"Then I draw…" said Norg.

He drew. He looked at the card.

"Pass… Your move…"

Jalal looked at his deck.

"Come on…" said Norg. "Don't forget, you have to draw an extra card due to my Defendguy… Whoever designed the card thought that it would be the drawback for being Level 4 with such a high Defense… But as you can see, there are many ways to turn it into an advantage…"

Jalal made a draw, and then drew again. The dagger appeared, and stabbed him again.

He set two cards in his Disk, and two set cards appeared, one in his Spell Zone and one in his Monster Zone.

"Make your move…" he said.

**(J: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,700)**

Norg made a draw.

Then he grinned that unpleasant grin again…

"I summon… Sasuke Samurai #3!" he laughed.

In a smaller aura of light, a small Warrior appeared, one whose head was a perfect sphere with a topknot behind, dressed in Samurai armor with two katana blades. (1,000 ATK)

"Now I play… Riryoku!" continued Norg, playing the last card in his hand. "I can steal half of Genesis Dragon's Attack Score, and give it to my Sasuke Samurai!"

Genesis Dragon fell to an Attack Score of 1,100, while Sasuke Samurai rose to 2,100.

Norg chuckled softly.

"Get it," he said, pointing to the Dragon.

The little Samurai leapt at the much larger Dragon, cutting it cleanly in half.

"Now, Sasuke Samurai's effect activates," said Norg, "forcing you to draw until you have seven cards!"

Jalal stopped short. He only had two cards in his hand right now…

He drew five times… Then five daggers appeared. He covered himself as they all attacked him, biting into his arms and shoulders.

"I'm not done!" cackled Norg, as one of his facedown cards lifted up. "I activate The Gift of Greed! So you draw two more cards!"

Jalal almost lost his nerve. He drew again, twice, and was stabbed twice more.

"Aren't I generous?" asked Norg.

Jalal sneered at him.

"Actually, I'm not," said Norg, as his other facedown card lifted. "I activate Heavy Slump! You have more than seven cards in your hand, so now they all go back to your deck. Then you reshuffle, and draw two cards."

Jalal glared at him angrily.

He added all nine of the cards to his deck, then reshuffled, and then made two draws. Once again, two daggers appeared and stabbed him. This time, he actually shouted out in pain.

"Okay… I think that's enough for one turn…" chuckled Norg.

**(J: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 7,700)**

Jalal drew a card, and then drew a second time, getting hit by yet another dagger as he did so.

"I flip Lord of Dragons into Attack Mode," he said.

His facedown Monster flipped up, and the draconic sorcerer appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, Dragon's Mirror!" he said, as he played a Spell Card.

"I'll remove Lord of Dragons and the Divine Dragon Ragnarok that I discarded earlier from play to Fusion Summon King Dragun."

King Dragun leapt onto the field in an aura of shadow. (2,400 ATK)

"Big deal…" said Norg. "He still can't crack my Defendguy's Defense."

Then Jalal's facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Immortal Dragon!" he shouted. "I can now bring Magna Drago back to the field."

The small Dragon Tuner appeared with a squeak. (1,400 ATK)

"Next, I summon Star Bright Dragon!"

He played another card, and a large Dragon with shimmering golden scales appeared next to the other two Dragons. (1,900 ATK)

"By summoning it, I can increase the Level of one other Monster by two. So, Magna Drago's Level now becomes 4.

"Now, Magna Drago, Tune yourself with Star Bright Dragon…"

The two Dragons flew towards the ceiling, Magna Dragon turning into three golden rings, and Star Bright Dragon flying through them before turning into shimmering stars.

"_I wish I may, I wish I might, summon the Monster to shine in the darkest night!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_Synchro Summon… Light End Dragon!"_

With a loud bellow, a huge, serpentine, oriental-looking Dragon with shining platinum scales and four wings, wearing a golden crown alighted onto the field. (2,600 ATK)

"That's gotta be the stupidest Synchro Chant I've ever heard," grunted Norg.

"We can't all be as good as Yusei Fudo," replied Jalal. "But you should worry less about my chants and more about my Monster, because when it attacks your Defendguy, all it has to do is reduce its Attack Score by 500 to reduce your Monster's Defense Score by 1,500."

"Eh?" said Norg.

"Attack!" shouted Jalal. "Shining Sublimation!"

Light End Dragon roared, and its Attack Score fell to 2,100, while Destiny Hero Defendguy's Defense Score fell to 1,200. The Dragon breathed a bolt of pure light, and the Dark Warrior exploded.

"Ergh…" said Norg.

"King Dragun, destroy Sasuke Samurai!" shouted Jalal.

The merged Monster blasted its Twilight Burn and the small Warrior was incinerated.

"Ow, ow, OW!" shouted Norg. "That hurt!"

**(J: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 6,300)**

"It's your move…" said Jalal.

"Bah…" said Norg. "I'm still far ahead of you…"

He drew a card.

He grumbled.

_But unless I use this, _he thought, _it's all over… This is gonna sting…_

"I play Magic Planter!" he exclaimed, as he played the card.

Imperial Custom vanished.

"By sending one Continuous Trap to the Graveyard, I get to draw twice…"

"Oh?" asked Jalal. "Don't forget, that Greed card of yours doesn't play favorites."

Norg snarled as he drew two cards. Then two daggers appeared and stabbed into his ample gut.

Then he grinned slightly when he saw what the two cards were: Morphing Jar and Hand Destruction.

He quickly set the first one on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

_Once this flips, _he thought, _he'll have to draw five cards… He'll take 2,500 points of damage…_

_Sure, so will I, but I'll survive, and he won't!_

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(J: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 5,300)**

"That's a Morphing Jar, right?" asked Jalal.

Norg looked stunned.

"Uh…" he said. "How can you be so sure?"

"I figured you had one in your deck," said Jalal. "And I could tell. You see, Norg, I've made my life out of reading people's faces… And knowing what their cards were by the way they held their eyes…

"I think that's from an old song, but I forget which one… Anyway… An ugly face like yours is rather easy to read."

He drew a card.

"And your plan is about to come crashing down… I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"

Norg gave a look of horror as the Spell Card appeared, blowing a cyclone of energy across the field and blowing the Greed card to pieces.

"I summon Axe Dragonute!" shouted Jalal.

He played the card, and the draconic, axe-wielder appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"Chop his Monster!" shouted Jalal.

Axe Dragonute charged, slicing the Morphing Jar to ribbons.

Jalal and Norg each discarded the one card in their hands, and they both made five draws. Then Axe Dragonute knelt in Defense Mode.

"Now, I attack directly with Light End Dragon and King Dragun!" exclaimed Jalal. "Let him have it!"

Norg screamed as Light End Dragon's Shining Sublimation hit him directly. Pain was not something he was used to feeling. And he screamed even louder when King Dragun's flames struck him. He fell on his large behind with a crash.

**(J: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 800)**

But he quickly got to his feet. His eyes glowed as glared at Jalal.

"You might think you're winning, Stormbringer…" growled the hezrou. "But I'm not about to be beaten by some mewling mongrel son of a peasant whore!"

"Must we resort to insults?" asked Jalal. "I have not once mentioned that your body odor reminds me of the breeze one catches downwind from a city landfill.

"Tell you what, fatso… I'm ending my turn now… You give me your best shot… And if it isn't enough, then I'll give you mine…"

"Oh, I never turn down a challenge, Stormbringer…" chuckled Norg.

He drew a card.

"I play… Polymerization!" he shouted.

"I'll fuse together a second Bistro Butcher and Versago the Destroyer…"

Another of the Fiend chefs and the multi-purpose Fusion Material Fiend appeared in front of him, and were both drawn into a vortex of darkness.

"Versago will assume the role of Succubus Knight in this case…" he continued. "I summon…

"Bloody Mary!"

A frightening form stepped out of the portal, and Jalal realized that this had nothing to do with vodka and tomato juice. It looked like a teenage girl wearing a torn and ragged prom dress stained with blood, with blonde hair tied in pigtails. She had a look of madness on her face, and held a huge axe. (2,900 ATK)

"Okay, that's disturbing…" said Jalal.

"Attack King Dragun!" shouted Norg. "Cut him in half!"

Bloody Mary squealed with glee as her axe fell, slicing King Dragun in two, lengthwise. Jalal grunted in pain.

"Now that he's gone," said Norg, "I play Tribute to the Doomed…"

He played a Spell Card, and then discarded a card.

"I'll toss one card to destroy your Light End Dragon!"

A swarm of mummy wrapping shot up from the ground, grabbing Light End Dragon. It struggled for a minute, and then shattered.

"It's your move…" said Norg.

**(J: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 800)**

Jalal drew a card.

"As promised…" he said, "now I'll give you mine…

"I sacrifice Axe Dragonute…"

The Dragon man turned into an orb of darkness.

"To summon the mighty White-Horned Dragon!"

The Dragon that appeared was large, winged, with crimson scales, and had a long, unicorn-like horn growing from its forehead. (2,200 ATK)

"White-Horned Dragon has the power to absorb magical auras," said Jalal. "To wit, it can remove up to five Spell Cards in your Graveyard from play…"

Five Spell Cards – Riryoku, Magic Planter, Polymerization, Hand Destruction, and Tribute to the Doomed – appeared in the air around White-Horned Dragon, and then dissolved into grains of light.

"…and then gain 300 Attack Points for each one."

(3,700 ATK)

"No…" gasped Norg. "It's not possible!"

"Oh, but it is," said Jalal. "White-Horned Dragon… Attack Bloody Mary with Horn Drive Buster!"

White-Horned Dragon swooped at the evil prom queen, horn first, and she screamed as it impaled her through the heart. Norg screamed too as he fell on his behind once again…

**(J: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 0)**

"All right, buster, you lose," said Jalal. "Now tell me where Hebi-Na is!"

Norg tried to get up. He didn't manage the first time, but he slowly pushed himself to his feet the second time.

"I'm afraid you mistook me for someone who keeps his word…" grumbled the hezrou.

Then he put his fingers in his mouth, and let out a loud whistle.

In the next instant, ten bulezai rushed in from the door to the right wing of the house. At the same instant, ten more rushed in from the left wing.

Jalal tensed. He had actually expected a double-cross, and was planning to cross that bridge when he came to it.

He had come to it, and wondered what he was going to do now…

"Grab him!" ordered Norg.

Then came a surprise…

"Hey, fat-ass!" shouted a girlish voice.

The insult came from what looked like a teenager wearing a leotard and a cloak. She somersaulted into the room from behind Norg, kicking him in the back and causing him to fall flat on his face.

Jalal stepped back and watched in wonder as this apparent new ally started to fight the bulezai. She didn't seem to be an ophidia…

Then Jalal got a look at her face, and opened his eyes in shock…

"Ember?" he shouted.

It sure seemed to be her. The red hair, the youthful expression… Even the small mark on her face that indicated that she was a Shadowchaser was there.

Jalal watched as the girl who looked like Ember tore through the bulezai with a flurry of kicks, punches, and throws, laughing as they futilely tried to hit her with their halberds.

"You idiots!" shouted Norg. "I told you to have that brat locked up!"

"We did, my lord!" protested one of the bulezai, "but she keeps breaking out!"

Then she socked that bulezai in the mouth, and ran over to Jalal.

"Come on!" she shouted. "Let's blow this place."

She kicked the door down, and then grabbed Jalal's hand. They both ran out, and down the hill.

"Can't you ever _open _a door, Little Miss Break-Everything?" screamed Norg, shaking his fist.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

After running for about five minutes, thunder started to rumble above… A storm was brewing. The trees around them started to turn dark and twisted, and their leaves fell off.

They ran to a small wooden shack, and ducked inside. The strange girl closed the door. She quickly lit a small lantern.

"Seems that Hebi-Na is starting to have much less pleasant dreams," said the girl. "But then, who can blame her?

She looked at Jalal.

"Jalal…" she said. "Hebi-Na hoped that if someone came, it would be you…"

Jalal looked at her.

"Okay…" he said. "Mind telling me why you look so much like Ember? Are you the part of her mind that represents aversions?"

The girl laughed.

"No…" she said. "Maybe that person around here looked like Ember a long time ago. Nowadays, he looks very different…

"She used to hate the Shadowchasers… Her nightmares once had Shichiro, Gears, Jinx, Ember… and you… You were all in them frequently… She thought you guys were literally her natural enemies.

"I helped her lock those nightmares away… Let her see that the truth…

"I'm her conscience. Call me Alzoozel."

"Good lord…" said Jalal.

"You know what a conscience is…" said the strange girl. "When you want to do something bad, I'm the nagging voice that tells you not to do it… I'm the one who wants you to be good…

"There was once a time when Hebi-Na never listened to me, and kept me locked up in the loneliest part of her mind. I was weak and destitute… I didn't look like Ember at all then… I was ugly… Sort of a mouse-like creature…

"Snakes _eat _mice, you know… She was fond of making me assume the role of something that her species thought of as nothing more than a snack.

"But something changed… It happened around the time that she realized Seghulerak was a fraud. One of my pleas got through to her, and that little push helped a great deal. She let me out, and I looked more like an ophidia, but I was still little more than a beggar around town.

"But she listened more and more, and I got stronger. Then she actually started coming to me first for advice."

"So why do you look like Ember now?" asked Jalal.

"You know the term 'forgive and forget'?" asked Alzoozel. "Forgive is a good idea. Forget, very bad idea. You must _never _forget the bad things you've done if you ever want to change.

"Hebi-Na feels sorry for all her victims… But Ember likely suffered more than any of them because of her. By looking like her, I can remind her, and she'll never forget. And she may find a path to redemption.

"And hopefully, if she ever wakes up, she can find Ember and muster the courage to say she's sorry…"

Jalal sighed.

"To err is human…" he said. "To forgive divine… If she is cured, if she wants to make amends, it would be between her and Ember.

"So what's the whole deal with what's happening in this town? Where's the soul? Where's Hebi-Na?"

Alzoozel sighed.

"She's a prisoner at the Bell Tower," she replied. "Remember those nightmares that looked like you and the Neo Domino Shadowchasers?" she asked. "They were the ones who dragged her away. But they're bulezai now. The demon who's really in charge set the worst parts of her mind free and gave them more powerful forms."

She opened the door to the shack, and pointed down the path.

"You can't see it, but it's there. As far as I can tell, there's only one real demon in this town… Only one creature that actually came from the Abyss. I've never seen him, I've just heard Norg mention him a few times. That demon can't make Hebi-Na wake up, so he has decided that so long as the Bells of Baphomet are silenced, her dreams will only consist of nightmares.

"He created the other demons from the worst parts of her mind. The bulezai are various vices and fears, the memories of all the crimes she has committed, and all the fears she thought she had conquered.

"Brittlebeak is her violent urges that she tries to suppress.

"Norg, the nominal ruler of the Soulscape now, is what she once was… The cruelty she once showed towards others. In effect, he is the cast-off evil that she worked so hard to purge herself of."

"I don't know what's actually in the Bell Tower. I figure even worse creatures are in there."

"So Hebi-Na is truly feeling remorse for everything she did?" asked Jalal.

"If she didn't," replied Alzoozel, "I wouldn't have been strong enough to defeat even one bulezai."

She sighed.

"But I've tried so many times to rescue her from the Bell Tower… I can't even get in. I'm captured each time. Norg has me locked up, I'm punished in some manner, I escape, and I try again a few days later, at which point the same thing happens… It's become a vicious cycle…

"I can't do it alone…"

Jalal put his hands on her shoulders.

"That's what I'm here for," he said. "Lead me to this Bell Tower…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

In the real world, Dr. Gelinas was monitoring the equipment that was maintaining Jalal's expedition.

Then suddenly, warning lights started to flash.

"What's this?" he said.

He checked the readings.

"Gott in Himmel…"

"What's going on?" asked Jabels.

"Something is wrong!" shouted Gelinas. "Both Jalal and Hebi-Na's brain activity levels just tripled in intensity!

"Something is happening in Hebi-Na's Soulscape…

"I have no idea what it is… But my professional opinion is, Jalal is about to walk into an area of great peril…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**IMMORTAL DRAGON (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **The silhouette of a dragon bursting out of the ground.

**Card Description: **Select and activate 1 of the following effects.  
>* Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from your Graveyard.<br>* Special Summon 1 of your Dragon-Type Monsters that was removed from play.

_Note: "Immortal Dragon" was first used by Manjyome in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**BLOODY MARY (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Fiend/Fusion/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Dark  
><strong>Level:<strong> 8  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 2,900  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,900

**Card Description: **_The Bistro Butcher + Succubus Knight_

Control of this card cannot switch. This card cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard by the opposing player.

_Note: "Bloody Mary" first appeared in "City of Souls"._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next:**_

_**Gelinas: When I designed the Bridge, I hesitated to build it at first… I knew that if it ever fell into the wrong hands, unspeakable evil could be done with it…**_

_**Now, the link between Jalal's mind and Hebi-Na's has caused a dark fiend to get past the Shadowchasers' defenses. But I have taken precautions… And as a doctor, I must abide by the Hippocratic Oath I once took and protect the patients under my care at all costs…**_

"_**A Bad Turn" is coming soon. **_


	5. Bad Turn

_**Can anyone guess where the names of these chapters originated? Cookie for the one who can figure it out.**_

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DRAW FIVE**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**A Bad Turn**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

"Why don't you simply shut the system down?" asked Jabels.

"Ordinarily, it would be that simple," replied Gelinas. "But with their brain activity like this…

"Do you know how it's said that it can be dangerous to wake up a sleepwalker? Well, with the rate their brain activity is, shutting down the system may be even worse.

"To give an analogy, it's like Jalal is driving a car down an expressway at ninety miles an hour with Hebi-Na in the passenger's seat, and neither of them has a seatbelt on. Shutting down the system would be like slamming on the brakes."

"I see…" said Jabels, gravely.

"Hebi-Na would likely be killed…" said Gelinas. "And as for Jalal… Well, he could well end up a brain-damaged vegetable for the rest of his immortal existence!

"The only thing we can do is…"

Then he was startled. Both Jalal and Hebi-Na started to glow with an eerie, shadowy aura.

"What's happening?" asked Jabels.

"I'm not sure…" said Gelinas.

Then the shadowy aura lifted off the two patients, and turned into an orb of blackness…

Then the orb burst, and a terrible creature was standing in front of them.

It was a seven-foot tall demon, muscular, broad, and covered with an armored exoskeleton. It had a vicious, doglike head, and four arms. Two of the arms were large, and ended in sharp pincers, while the arms below those were human.

This was a glabrezu, a dark creature who lived to cause corruption. A glabrezu's very presence in the mortal world could cause vegetation to die and cattle to sicken. Its prolonged presence could upset the natural order if not driven off.

Everyone in the room cowered from the creature, except Gelinas, who looked rather annoyed at the intrusion.

The demon looked at the Bridge.

"And what, may I ask, is your business here?" asked the doctor.

"Repo man," responded the demon, with a chuckle. "Afraid that the payment on this device is overdue… Going to have to confiscate it…"

"Over my dead body," said Gelinas.

"Okay, chubby," laughed the glabrezu, "I can arrange that!"

In response, Gelinas pulled down a switch on the machine, and as the demon lunged, it slammed into a barrier of energy that divided the whole room in half.

It grunted. It was now on one side of the room, and everyone else, along with the Bridge, was on the other.

"Force field!" grunted the fiend.

"Fool," said Gelinas. "You didn't really think I didn't expect someone to try to shanghai my device? I took precautions in case some uncouth monster like you tried to steal it. I'm well-aware of what it could do in the wrong hands.

"One does not earn doctorates in two fields by being stupid."

"You can't hide behind that wall forever!" laughed the glabrezu.

"Nor can you stay here forever," said Gelinas. "You're in the middle of Shadowchaser Headquarters. Your presence is sure to raise an alarm eventually…"

"Uh, doc…" said Jabels.

He got close and whispered into his ear.

"I tried to call for help…" he whispered. "My cell phone is dead… This guy must have cut communications somehow… Until someone comes to check on us, we're on our own."

The glabrezu cackled.

"Once again, Ranstul the Render triumphs!" it laughed.

Gelinas lifted an eyebrow. That boast made by the overconfident demon suddenly gave him an idea.

He looked at the side of his coat. He had something in his pocket that he could use to defeat this creature… But first he had to weaken him.

His eyes narrowed.

"Quite an egotistical title…" he said.

He took a small device out of another pocket, no bigger than a blackberry. Then he clipped it onto his wristband, where it quickly unfolded into a Duel Disk.

"What's this?" asked Ranstul. "You want to duel me?"

Gelinas took a cord from the same pocket, and then hooked one end to the Disk. Then he plugged the other end into a port on the Bridge.

"We seem to be in a stalemate for now," said Gelinas. "I'm offering you a chance to end this quickly.

"You want to get to us? Reducing my Life Points to zero in a duel will turn off that force field."

Ranstul laughed out loud.

"Fool!" it said. "Even if you win, you'll get nothing.

"I accept!"

A Duel Disk appeared on its left human arm, the same model of the ones used by Brittlebeak and Norg.

"Ain't a braver man alive…" said one of the technicians.

Gelinas took a deck of cards out of another pocket, and fit it into the deck holder.

"Duel," he said.

**(Gelinas: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ranstul: 8,000)**

"I draw one card," said the doctor.

He looked over his hand of cards, and then picked four of them.

"I set three cards facedown, and then set a Monster in Defense Mode," he said.

A horizontal set card appeared in front of him, and then three vertical cards appeared behind it.

"That ought to do it for now…"

Ranstul chuckled as it made a draw.

"I summon Alien Hunter!" it laughed.

An orb of watery, blue energy appeared in front of it. Then it burst, and a large, humanoid lizard with blue skin, wearing armor with blue orbs on its chest, holding a double-bladed staff, appeared in its place. (1,600 ATK)

Gelinas looked at it over his spectacles.

_An Alien… _he thought.

"Attack his Monster!" shouted the demon.

The Alien's weapon crackled with electricity, and it lunged. A large turtle with a metal, mechanical shell appeared on the card. As the outer space Reptile stabbed it, it exploded.

"So much for that," laughed the demon.

"I activate UFO Turtle's effect," replied Gelinas. "I now get to summon a Fire-Attribute Monster with 1,500 Attack Points or less… So, I summon to the field… Fire Princess."

There was a burst of flame, and a beautiful, stern-faced woman in a red-dress holding a long, wooden staff appeared in front of him. (1,300 ATK)

"Feh…" said Ranstul.

It set a card on its Disk.

"I set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"And as you do," said Gelinas, as one of his three facedown cards lifted up, "my Solemn Wishes card activates.

"Now, I'll draw…"

He drew a card.

"And every time I draw one or more cards, Solemn Wishes grants me 500 Life Points…"

A shower of gold fell upon him.

"AND, every time my Life Points increase, Fire Princess gets to strut her stuff, dealing 500 points of damage."

Fire Princess pointed her staff, blasting a small ball of flames at the fiend.

"Bah!" it said. "You barely made a scratch."

"Maybe so," said Gelinas. "But she's hardly the only part of my strategy…

"I summon White Magician Pikeru to the field."

He played the card, and a small child, likely no older than ten, dressed in a white gown with blonde hair and pigtails appeared. The most unusual piece of clothing she wore was a hat shaped like a Scapegoat. She held a wand with a glowing orb. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, a Spell Card," he said, as he threw a card into his Disk. "It's called Sibling Rivalry. With Pikeru on the field, I can Special Summon her dark sister from my deck… Ebon Magician Curran."

Another girl Spellcaster appeared, the same age as Pikeru. She wore a black dress and a hood with bunny ears over her long, chestnut brown hair, and held a long, leather switch. (1,200 ATK)

Pikeru and Curran gave each other cold looks, and then turned to face Ranstul.

"I end my turn," said Gelinas.

**(G: 8,500) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,500)**

"Do you think those pathetic females are a match for my Monsters?" asked the demon, as it drew a card.

"I sacrifice Alien Hunter…" he said.

Alien Hunter turned into an orb of dark energy.

"For Alien Overlord!"

With a roar, a much more terrifying Alien exploded out of the orb. It was much bigger, was covered by an insect-like exoskeleton, had taloned feet, and six spindly arms ending in long claws. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I activate Call of the Haunted," it said, as his facedown card lifted up, "to bring back Alien Hunter!"

Alien Hunter reappeared in a flash of energy. (1,600 ATK)

"You think I'm afraid of Aliens?" asked Gelinas. "In my first year of medical school, when I was on spring break, I went to a film festival where I saw _Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, _and _Alien Resurrection _all in one viewing, and loved every minute of it."

"Movies are one thing," said Ranstul, "Duel Monsters is quite another. Now, I use Alien Overlord's effect, which I can use once per round. I place one A-Counter on one of your Monsters!"

A cavity on Overlord's chest opened, and a disgusting slug flew out and latched to Fire Princess's chest. She grunted in pain.

"Alien Overlord is one of many Aliens with a special effect that causes Monsters to lose 300 Attack Points per A-Counter whenever they battle an Alien," continued Ranstul. "And while Alien Hunter doesn't have that effect, it has another effect… Once it destroys a Monster that has an A-Counter, it gets to attack a second time!"

"Is that so?" asked Gelinas.

Another of his facedown cards lifted up.

"I activate Gravity Bind," he said. "Your Monsters can't come near my Monsters now.

"You pride those Aliens for being so big and strong, but that's not always an asset."

"Coward!" cursed Ranstul. "You hide behind Traps and defenses… Are you too scared to attack?"

Gelinas glared at him with a look that could crack stone.

"I end my turn…" said the demon.

Gelinas drew a card.

"I'm no coward, demon," he said. "And if you came here looking for a fight, you will certainly get one!

"I gain 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes again… Then, White Magician Pikeru grants me 400 Life Points for each Monster I possess… You can do math, can you?"

The shower of gold fell on him again, and Pikeru chanted, and cast a spell. Soft light covered the doctor.

"Now, because I gained Life Points from two sources, Fire Princess's effect is activated twice."

Fire Princess blasted an even bigger stream of flame at the demon.

"And, thanks to Curran, you now lose 300 Life Points for every Monster _you _possess!"

Curran chanted, and then lashed with her switch, striking Ranstul.

**(G: 10,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,900)**

"Next," said Gelinas, as he played a Spell Card, "I play Ancient Leaf. Because my Life Points are at least 9,000, I can pay 2,000 of them to make two draws."

His Life Points went down, and he made two draws.

"Now then…" he continued. "When there's a bad case of parasitic infestation, you need to call in a specialist. Fortunately, I have one. I summon Injection Fairy Lily!"

There was a burst of magical energy, and a young woman dressed like a nurse appeared, with small wings on her back, holding a syringe as big as herself. She smiled sweetly. (400 ATK)

"Now, she attacks…"

Lily flew at Alien Overlord…

"And by paying 2,000 of my Life Points, I can increase her Attack Score by 3,000!"

Lily's Attack Score shot up to 3,400, and she hurled her syringe, impaling the wicked Alien. It howled, and then shattered.

Lily alighted back on Gelinas's side of the field with a giggle.

"You'll pay for that…" hissed Ranstul.

"I set one card facedown," said Gelinas, as a set card appeared behind Lily, "and I end my turn…"

**(G: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

Ranstul made a draw.

"Okay…" he said.

"I have here a very special Monster…

"So special, that I'm going to give it to you, as a present…"

"I don't like the sound of that…" said a technician.

"Of course," said Ranstul, "a sacrifice has to be made…"

Then Injection Fairy Lily screamed and dropped her syringe.

"Lily?" said Gelinas, stepping backwards. "What…"

Lily clutched her chest, and fell on her back. Then, to everyone's shock, a hideous Monster literally burst out of her chest.

As Lily's body disintegrated, the young Alien quickly grew to full-size. It was thin and gaunt, with a face that looked like a fanged skull. It had green orbs on its chest. (1,600 ATK)

Gelinas sighed.

"That may have been the one scene in the first movie that I didn't like…" he said.

"Of course," said Ranstul, "because I Special Summoned Alien Skull to your side of the field, it gains an A-Counter. AND, it's another Alien that saps the Attack Score of Monsters that have them when Aliens attack them. Which means, if I attack it with my Hunter, it will be defeated by its own effect!"

"But you can't attack with Hunter due to my Gravity Bind," replied Gelinas, "and because you Special Summoned your Skull that way, you aren't allowed to Normal Summon this round."

"I'm not done," said the demon. "First, I set a card facedown."

A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then I play… Card Destruction."

It played the Spell Card, and then discarded two cards. Gelinas shrugged, and discarded his one card. He drew one, and Ranstul drew two.

Then the card that Ranstul had just set lifted up.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" it shouted. "I'll bring back one of the Monsters I just tossed… Alien Telepath!"

The strange ankh appeared in mid-air, and then a strange creature appeared next to Alien Hunter. It looked like a cross between a slug and a catfish, covered with red scales. It had a very big mouth and two red orbs on its forehead. (1,600 ATK)

"Now I use its effect," continued Ranstul. "By removing an A-Counter from one of your Monsters, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards."

The A-Counter on Fire Princess crumbled to dust, and Alien Telepath blasted a bolt of psychic energy, blowing Gravity Bind to pieces.

"Seems I can attack after all," chuckled the demon. "And one other thing… Alien Telepath is also an Alien that saps the Attack Scores of Monsters that have A-Counters when Aliens attack them."

Alien Hunter lifted its staff.

"That means that the one A-Counter on Alien Skull will cause it to lose 600 Attack Points in this battle! Alien Hunter, attack! Otherworldly Electrostaff!"

Alien Hunter leapt at the gaunt Alien, its weapon crackling with electricity. As Alien Skull's Attack Score fell to 1,000, it jammed the weapon into the Skull's chest, and the Skull exploded into gore.

"And like I said," continued Ranstul, "when Hunter slays a Monster that has at least one A-Counter, it gets to attack again!"

Hunter rushed at Fire Princess, and stabbed her in the chest. She screamed before she shattered.

"Ergh…" grunted Gelinas.

"Now, Telepath will eradicate your bunny-girl. Attack Ebon Magician Curran with Telepathic Wave!"

Curran squeaked in fear. Then Telepath shot its wave of mental energy again, and she screamed before shattering.

Pikeru looked at Ranstul and his Aliens with a look of pure fury.

"Calm down…" said Gelinas.

"To end my turn," said Ranstul, I'll set one card facedown, and then play the Continuous Spell Card, 'A' Cell Breeding Device."

A facedown card appeared, and then a strange contraption appeared in front of him. It looked like a tank full of chemicals with ugly things swimming around inside it.

"It's your move…" said Ranstul.

**(G: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

"Not yet," said Gelinas. "From this point, this Trap Card will be in play…"

Another of his facedown cards lifted up.

"Life Absorbing Machine. We'll get to that in a second. Now, I draw…"

He made a draw.

_Hmm… _he thought.

"I gain 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes, and 400 from Pikeru," he said.

"And thanks to Life Absorbing Machine, half of the Life Points I lost due to Life Point payments last round are now refunded. That means I gain 2,000 Life Points."

**(G: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

He quickly set one of the cards in his hand, and a hidden Monster appeared next to Pikeru. Then Pikeru knelt in Defense Mode. (0 DEF)

"End," he said.

"That was all you could do, huh?" asked Ranstul.

"I draw…"

He made a draw.

"And during my Standby Phase, I use 'A' Cell Breeding Device to put an A-Counter on Pikeru…"

One of the vile slugs leapt out of the tank, and latched onto Pikeru.

Ranstul scratched his chin with one of its pincer arms.

"Hmm, let's see now…" said the demon. "I could remove that A-Counter to use Alien Telepath's effect… I could use it to destroy your Solemn Wishes…

"On the other hand… I could attack Pikeru with Alien Hunter while the Counter is still there, which would let it attack your other Monster as well, and then let me attack directly with Telepath…

"Yes, I think I'll do just that!"

Hunter charged at Pikeru and stabbed with its Electrostaff, blowing the young Spellcaster to pixels. Then it charged at the facedown Monster. A dark-looking man briefly appeared on the card before shattering as well.

"Alien Telepath, attack the good doctor directly!" ordered Ranstul.

Gelinas groaned as the Telepath's mental wave plowed into him.

"I knew you would do that…" said the doctor, with a hint of contempt in his voice. "Your kind has as much foresight as a rabid grizzly bear…"

Ranstul frowned.

"We'll see about that," he said, as he set the last card in his hand into his Disk. "I set this facedown."

"And I activate this," said Gelinas, as his last Trap Card lifted up. "Miracle's Wake. Now I can summon back to the field a Monster that you destroyed this turn via battle…

"I summon my Devilish Bard."

In a shadowy, dark aura, a devilish handsome young man strode onto the field. He was dressed in a leather jerkin with a long, white, flowing scarf, and carried a lute which he slowly strummed. A pair of fiendish wings sprouted from his back. (0 ATK)

"He has no points…" said Ranstul.

"Attack Points aren't everything," said Gelinas.

"I end my turn…" said the demon.

**(G: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

"Then I draw!" exclaimed Gelinas. "And I gain 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes again.

"Then I summon… the Beautiful Flute Player!"

He played the card, and an aura of light appeared next to the Devilish Bard. An angelic woman with long, blonde hair, dressed in white and golden robes with beautiful, feathered wings on her back appeared. Her eyes were closed, and she was playing a lovely melody on a sky-blue flute. (200 ATK)

"Bah!" said Ranstul. "Do you think those two weaklings can threaten my Aliens?"

"Maybe not," said Gelinas, "but let me explain their effects…

"Devilish Bard cannot be attacked so long as I have a Monster other than a Devilish Rogue on the field…

"And Beautiful Flute Player cannot be attacked so long as I have a Monster other than a Beautiful Flute Player on the field."

"It's an attack lock!" exclaimed the technician.

"Indeed…" said Jabels. "They may not be able to actually attack… But Devilish Bard will protect Beautiful Flute Player, while she will protect Devilish Bard!"

"Now, I move straight to my End Phase," continued Gelinas, "and because both of my musicians are in Attack Mode, their true effects activate.

"First, Beautiful Flute Player grants me 400 Life Points for each Spell and Trap Card on the field. I count six.

"Second, Devilish Bard deals 300 points of damage to you for each Spell and Trap Card on the field, again, that's six."

Devilish Bard's eyes glowed, and this time, Ranstul screamed in pain.

**(G: 9,100) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"All right, now I'm angry…" snarled Ranstul, as he made a draw.

He looked at the card. And then he laughed an unholy cackle…

"I use the effect of 'A' Cell Breeding Device to put an A-Counter on Beautiful Flute Player!" it laughed.

The Fairy opened her eyes as one of the slugs flew at her, and latched to her chest.

"Now…" said the glabrezu, as its facedown card lifted up, "I activate Brainwashing Beam! I can now take control of one Monster that has an A-Counter on it."

Beautiful Flute Player screamed as she was dragged over to Ranstul's side of the field.

Ranstul grinned as he lifted up the card he had drawn.

"This Monster normally needs two sacrifices to summon…" it said. "But I can summon it with only one, providing that the one is yours…"

"Oh no…" said Jabels.

He had seen this beast before…

"I sacrifice your flutist…" said Ranstul, as Beautiful Flute Player vanished.

Then an explosion of energy rocked the room. A huge behemoth rose on the demon's side of the field. It could best be described as a giant brain perched on large, crustacean legs, with slimy tentacles all over. (2,600 ATK)

"Cosmic Horror Gangi'el…" muttered Gelinas.

"You got it!" laughed Ranstul. "Attack his Devilish Bard! Psionic Blast!"

Cosmic Horror Gangi'el blasted a bolt of destructive mental energy at the Fiend, blowing him to pieces. Gelinas held his chest in pain.

"Now, I attack directly with Alien Telepath and Alien Hunter!" shouted the demon.

Alien Telepath blasted its own bolt of mental energy at the doctor, while Hunter rushed up and stabbed him hard with its weapon. Gelinas toppled over.

**(G: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"Doctor!" screamed Jabels.

"I'm all right…" said the doctor, as he slowly got up. "I can take pain… That's something that all men in my profession need to know how to take…"

He dusted himself off.

"Freud himself knew it well… He smoked cigars all his life… It was a habit that gave him throat cancer at age sixty-seven, but unfortunately for him, it didn't kill him for sixteen years. He was in almost constant pain for those sixteen years, and would have suffered even longer if a friend hadn't helped him die by administering morphine as a mercy-killing."

_How does Freud always find his way into these things? _thought the technician.

"I believe… It's my move…" said the doctor.

He drew a card.

"Again, I gain 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes," he said.

"Then I play… Pot of Avarice…"

The goofy jug appeared in front of him, and he took UFO Turtle, Fire Princess, Injection Fairy Lily, Devilish Bard, and Beautiful Flute Player from his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and made two draws.

"Because I drew cards, Solemn Wishes activates again…"

The shower of gold fell on him a second time.

Then he played a Spell Card.

"I play… Star Blast!" he exclaimed. "I pay 1,500 Life Points, in order to downgrade the Level of this Monster in my hand from 7 to 4.

"That means she can be summoned with no sacrifice…

"You think you can impress me by using Monsters that come from beyond the stars? I have one that comes from Heaven itself!"

Celestial choirs started to play as a brilliant light appeared.

"I summon Guardian Angel Joan!"

The beautiful angel appeared in all her glory, spreading her golden wings and radiating an aura of pure brilliance. (2,800 ATK)

"Destroy that overgrown abomination!" shouted Gelinas. "Attack with Light of the Divine!"

Joan frowned, and flew up to Cosmic Horror Gangi'el with her hand glowing with a fiery aura of light. The great beast groaned, and then exploded in a fiery burst of light.

"And thanks to Joan's effect, I gain Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack Points," said Gelinas.

**(G: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"You'll suffer for that move…" snarled Ranstul. "And so will your accursed Angel!"

His facedown card shot up.

"I activate 'A' Cell Scatter Burst!" it shouted.

"I have to destroy one of my Aliens…"

Alien Hunter exploded into a burst of gore.

"…but your Monster gets one A-Counter for each Level it had!"

Four A-Counters flew at Guardian Angel Joan. Three of them latched to her torso, and one to her face.

"Oh no!" shouted the technician. "If Telepath attacks Joan, she'll lose…"

He paused.

"She'll lose 1,200 Attack Points…" said Jabels. "Telepath will only be able to manage a draw… Ranstul has no cards in his hand. With any luck, it'll get a bad draw."

The demon drew a card.

And then it grinned evilly.

"I think he got a good one…" said the technician.

"You bet I did," replied the glabrezu. "But first, I'm using Telepath's effect, and removing one A-Counter from Joan to destroy Solemn Wishes."

The A-Counter on Joan's face turned to dust, and she gasped for breath. The Solemn Wishes card shattered.

"Now, I summon Alien Ammonite!" shouted Ranstul, playing the card.

A small Alien that looked like a hermit crab with long tentacles underneath it appeared hovering in the air. (500 ATK)

"By summoning it, I'm able to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Alien from my Graveyard. I choose an Alien I discarded when I played Card Destruction… Alien Infiltrator."

A larger, but still somewhat small Alien appeared, one with black, insect-like armor and two tentacles in place of arms. It wore a mask with a breathing apparatus and made a deep breathing sound, similar to the heavy breathing that Darth Vader was known for. The orbs on its chest were black. (800 ATK)

"Eh?" said Jabels. "Why didn't he summon Alien Hunter? I mean, if he's going to summon Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar…"

"That's not what I'm summoning…" said the demon. "Infiltrator is exactly the right Level for an even stronger Alien Synchro Monster."

"That's preposterous," said Gelinas. "There are no Level 7 Alien Synchros."

"No, but there is a Level 10 one," replied Ranstul. "And due to its effect, I'm allowed to use _your _Monsters as Synchro Materials to summon it, so long as they have A-Counters on them."

Joan screamed as she was yanked over to Ranstul's side of the field. Then she, Infiltrator, and Ammonite, all flew towards the ceiling. Alien Ammonite turned into three dark rings, and Alien Infiltrator and Guardian Angel Joan were pulled through, slowly dissolving into glowing stars.

"I give you a creature who reigns as king among the Aliens…" said Ranstul.

**(*1 + *2 + *7 = *10)**

As the humans in the room watched, a portal opened, disgorging a mass of tentacles. The huge, shadowy body of the creature emerged, but not completely, seemingly preferring to keep itself partially hidden in the shadows of the portal. But Gelinas and the others could see _eyes. _Dozens of glowing, red, inhuman eyes glaring at them from the darkness created from the portal. (3,000 ATK)

"I give you… Cosmic Emperor Gilgameth!" laughed Ranstul. "Merely to look upon its face is to embrace madness!

"Fortunately for you, it can't attack this turn because I used your Monster to summon it. So… I'll just attack you directly with my Telepath!"

Gelinas cringed again as Telepath's mental assault hit him again.

"I end my turn…" said the glabrezu with a grin.

**(G: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"I draw one card…" said Gelinas, as he made a draw. "And I gain 750 Life Points from Life Absorbing Machine…"

He quickly played the card he had drawn.

"I play Magic Planter," he said. "I'll send Life Absorbing Machine to the Graveyard to draw two cards."

The Trap Card vanished, and he made two draws.

"Well, my friend," he said, as he looked at the three cards in his hand, "as we psychologists are so fond of saying, it appears your hour is up…

"I remove two Light-Attribute Monsters from play…"

White Magician Pikeru and Guardian Angel Joan appeared behind him, and then faded into nothing.

"…to Special Summon Soul of Purity and Light."

A Fairy made of translucent, soft light, with feathered wings dressed on a long gown, appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Now I summon Sunny Pixie," he continued.

A _little _pixie, only a foot tall, flew onto the field. She had dragonfly wings and exuded a trail of fairy dust in her wake. (300 ATK)

"How cute…" said Ranstul in disgust.

"Don't underestimate her," said Gelinas. "She happens to be a Tuner.

"So, I Tune together Sunny Pixie and Soul of Purity and Light…"

Sunny Pixie flew towards the ceiling, and turned into a golden ring. Soul of Purity and Light followed, turning into six stars as she flew through the ring.

"_Majestic wanderer of the Astral Plane, flying between all realities, the Music of the Spheres playing in your wake! Clustering stars light the way to the mortal realm..."_

**(*1 + *6 = *7)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"_

With a roar, a large, radiant, oriental-looking Dragon with only two legs and small wings appeared to face the two Aliens. Its scales were shimmering silver, its face echoed wisdom, and a plume of golden hair trailed from behind its head. (2,100 ATK)

"Because Sunny Pixie was used to Synchro Summon a Light-Attribute Monster," continued Gelinas, "I gain 1,000 more Life Points."

**(G: 5,050) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"And now, there's Ancient Sacred Wyvern's effect," he said. "Because my Life Points 2,150 more than yours, it gains an equal amount of Attack Points."

(4,250 ATK)

"It's not over!" cursed the glabrezu.

"I'm afraid it is," replied Gelinas, as he played the last card in his hand. "To drive the point home, I'm playing Darkworld Shackles! And I'm Equipping it to Cosmic Emperor Gilgameth."

As he played the card, there was a loud roar from the partially concealed Monster. Then its Attack Score started to plummet. (100 ATK)

"What have you done?" screamed the demon.

"It's not what I've done," said the doctor. "It's what I intend to do…

"Ancient Sacred Wyvern… Eradicate Cosmic Emperor Gilgameth with Mega-Blast!"

The huge Fairy bellowed, and breathed a beam of pure, burning light at the dark emperor. The glabrezu screamed and toppled over as his Monster was obliterated.

**(G: 5,050) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

"You insolent fool…" gasped the demon. "You may have beaten me… But all you've done is enrage me more… When that force field fails…"

"Why wait?" asked the doctor.

He reached over, and pulled the switch up. The force field flickered, and shut off.

"Dr. Gelinas!" shouted Jabels.

Ranstul's eyes opened wide in shock.

He pulled himself to his feet, stumbling as he did. Then he lunged at Dr. Gelinas…

The doctor pointed something at the wicked demon that looked like a small bottle made of metal, and pulled the stopper off of it.

By the time Ranstul realized what was happening, it was too late. Gelinas spoke a command word, followed by the word "Ranstul". The demon screamed as eldritch energy encircled him, freezing him in place…

Then, the energy enveloped him, and he was sucked into the bottle. Gelinas fit the stopper back on.

He took a deep breath.

"An Iron Flask!" exclaimed Jabels.

"A device that can be used to contain an extradimensional being," replied Gelinas. "He was a fool for telling us his name… As most demons are…"

"Once you knew his name, the Iron Flask could be used to contain him…" said Jabels. "But… To make sure it would work, you had to weaken him…"

Gelinas nodded.

"So I challenged him to a duel," he said. "I knew he'd be too proud to refuse…"

He put the Flask back inside his coat, and started checking the readings on the Bridge again.

"Seems Jalal and Hebi-Na's brain activity is still high…" he said. "But I think we know what was causing it in the first place… You'd best call someone to set up some wards to prevent any other unexpected guests."

"I'll have someone here in five minutes," said Jabels.

"Doc, that's a pretty good deck you have," said the technician.

"It's not mine," said the doctor, as he started to turn some dials. "It's my daughter's…"

The technician looked at him strangely…

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

In the Soulscape, Alzoozel and Jalal crept towards a clearing, and hid behind a bush. In the center of the clearing were two bulezai, standing guard, but not guarding anything, it seemed.

"The Bell Tower can't be seen until you get past the guards," said Dee-Dee.

"There are only two of them…" said Jalal.

"Wrong…" said Alzoozel. "As soon as they see you, dozens more will come from all directions.

"But… If I go there and make like I'm trying to break in like I have so many times before, they'll all concentrate on me. You'll be able to sneak by them and get in!"

"But…" said Jalal. "You'll be captured! Norg will…"

"He'll lock me up, he'll punish me, I'll escape again!" said Alzoozel. "I told you, it always happens. Better me than you…"

She handed him something.

"What's this?" asked Jalal.

He took it. It was a card.

It had a gold border, and was apparently a Monster Card, but the places where the card text and illustration were supposed to be were both blank.

"The soul gave it to me when the Bells stopped the first time," she said. "She told me to give it to anyone who came to help, if anyone ever did."

She looked at the two guards.

"Be ready to run past them… I don't know if I'll see you again…"

Then she ran into the clearing. She quickly ran up to one of the guards, and socked him in the face.

As she had said, more bulezai rushed into the clearing from all directions. She fought hard, knocking them down.

Jalal ran, and as Alzoozel had hoped, they didn't notice him. He got past the place where the first two guards were watching…

And then he gazed in awe at the building which had suddenly become visible.

He was now standing at the entrance of a terrible cathedral of demonic design. It was made of black crystal, with hideous gargoyles on every buttress. It was as if Dracula had taken over Notre Dame Cathedral and redecorated it to his own liking.

The stained glass window on the front bore the image of a creature with an uncanny resemblance to Vennominaga, the Deity of Poisonous Snakes…

_It's a temple to Seghulerak, _thought Jalal. _Far more elaborate than any that an ophidia on Earth has ever built. I've reached the darkest part of her mind…_

He looked up. High above was a belfry with large, iron bells.

The true Bells of Baphomet. They were silent now, but Jalal could sense the great evil emitting from them.

He rushed through the entrance. Then he paused, and looked back at Alzoozel, just in time to see the mob of bulezai tackle her and hold her down.

There was nothing more he could do for her here. His only hope now was to find Hebi-Na. He rushed further into the cathedral.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SIBLING RIVALRY (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A shocked White Magician Pikeru looking in a mirror and seeing an angry Ebon Magician Curran looking back at her.

**Card Description: **You may activate this card when you control a face-up "White Magician Pikeru" OR a face-up "Ebon Magician Curran". Special Summon 1 "Ebon Magician Curran" (if the card you control is a "White Magician Pikeru") or a "White Magician Pikeru" (if the card you control is an "Ebon Magician Curran") from your hand or deck.

_Note: "Sibling Rivalry" first appeared in "The Thousand-Year Door". _

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**BEAUTIFUL FLUTE PLAYER (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Fairy/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Light  
><strong>Level:<strong> 2  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 200  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,700

**Card Description: **If you control a face-up Monster (other than "Beautiful Flute Player") this card cannot be selected as an attack target. If this card is in Attack Position during your End Phase, increase your Life Points by 400 for each Spell and Trap Card on the field.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DEVILISH BARD (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Fiend/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Dark  
><strong>Level:<strong> 2  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 0  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,000

**Card Description: **If you control a face-up Monster (other than "Devilish Bard") this card cannot be selected as an attack target. If this card is in Attack Position during your End Phase, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent for each Spell and Trap Card on the field.

_Note: "Beautiful Flute Player" and "Devilish Bard" were created by fanfic author Lux-Nero. Creative credit goes to him._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**COSMIC EMPEROR GILGAMETH (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Synchro/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Dark  
><strong>Level:<strong> 10  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 3,000  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 3,000

**Card Description: **_"Alien" Tuner + 2 or more non-Tuner Monsters_

This card can be Synchro Summoned using Monsters your opponent controls with "A-Counters" on them. If summoned via this method, this card cannot attack on the turn it is Synchro Summoned. Once per turn, by removing a number of "A-Counters" from the field, you can Special Summon 1 "Alien" monster or "Cosmic Horror Gangi'el" from your hand, deck or Graveyard whose Level is equal to the number of Counters removed. Each time this card destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, you may place a number of "A-Counters" on this card equal to the level of the destroyed monster.

_Note: "Cosmic Emperor Gilgameth" was created by fanfic author Metal Overlord 2.0. Creative credit goes to him._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next:**_

_**Jalal: Before Hebi-Na confronted the aboleth, she was so forlorn that she was ready to choose death over life. Perhaps then, what happened to her wasn't the worst of things, as most cultures believe that suicide is the worst of all sins, and that those who commit self-murder are almost certainly damned. **_

_**Before I can find the soul, I am confronted by a demon that seems to have been formed out of that same self-destructive urge… And while it's willing to duel, my deck is ill-equipped to handle his powerful strategy…**_

_**Only one card in my deck win my way past this creature… Can I possibly draw it?**_

"_**Cold Sweat" is coming soon. **_


	6. Cold Sweat

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DRAW SIX**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Cold Sweat**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

As Jalal cautiously walked through the dark cathedral, he was startled by a voice coming from above.

"_Jalal, be careful!" _it screamed. _"Norg told them you were coming!"_

He stopped short.

"That voice…" he whispered. "Hebi-Na?"

He looked up.

"Her body may be asleep…" he said. "But her soul is as conscious as ever! And she's been watching me the whole time!"

He called out.

"Who?" he shouted. "Who knows I'm here? Where are you?"

"_I'm…" _she started to say.

Then there was a muffled sound, like someone had clasped a hand over her mouth. Jalal waited for a minute or two, but she didn't speak again.

He started to walk again, and as he did, the décor changed dramatically.

The lights got dimmer, and the walls started to warp…

After about a minute, he was not walking through a manmade structure at all, but a dark, wet cave. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he realized that he was in a large cavern, with the far side taken up by a pool of water.

"I know this place…" he said.

That he did. This was part of the cavern system under Neo Domino that the aboleth made its home in. His men had searched the place with a fine-toothed comb after its defeat.

_This is likely where Hebi-Na's memories of her ill-fated encounter with that thing lie, _he thought. _Where it first inflicted her with the Bells of Baphomet…_

Then the pool started to bubble and churn… Something was alive in it.

The aboleth? Whatever it was, Jalal knew it wouldn't be friendly.

A large, terrifying form broke surface. This wasn't the aboleth, but it was just as bad. It was a huge, serpentine demon, with a head resembling a fiendish moray eel, with four tentacles where most creatures would have had arms. It stank of rotten fish.

He had never seen a wastrilith before, but he had heard stories about them… They were one of the few species that were able to swim in the foul waters of the River Styx unharmed, and were known for lying in ambush for unwary travelers – which in the Lower Planes, was almost anyone willing to travel there – in places where the River's shores touched the Abyss.

"_Who dares enter this temple?" _said a telepathic voice that reverberated through Jalal's head.

"Who are you?" asked Jalal. "Where's the soul?"

"_Who am I?" _asked the wastrilith. _"I was born from a spark in Hebi-Na's mind when she first believed that her life was hopeless…_

_"And when Taramanda was killed and she realized that she truly had nothing to live for, that spark grew into a blazing fire._

"_I am the drive that made her desire the worst crime a mortal can commit… The one sin that can never be redeemed…"_

"Suicide…" muttered Jalal, glaring at the creature.

"_The one thing that she wanted more than to end her life was vengeance," _continued the creature. _"And it kept me at bay… And now… Self-murder is no longer an option, but so long as she suffers, I will survive…"_

"Not for long…" said Jalal.

"_You talk tough, mortal…" _said the wastrilith. _"You wish to release her from this prison? Well… You must get by me first; I guard the only door to the next level of this cathedral._

"_Until I am defeated in a Shadow Duel, that door will not appear…"_

"Fine!" said Jalal.

His Duel Disk activated.

"I accept!"

The wastrilith grinned with its toothy mouth, and five cards appeared in front of it, backsides forward.

"_You're either very brave or very foolish," _it said. _"Either way, you will soon pay the price of your folly."_

**(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Wastrilith: 8,000)**

"_You may make the first move…"_

Jalal drew a sixth card.

_Not bad… _he thought, looking at his first hand.

"I'll throw this card facedown," he said, as a card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then summon Twin-Headed Behemoth."

A large, winged Dragon with two heads appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

He looked at another card in his hand, Des Volstgalph.

_Even if he destroys Behemoth with an attack, _he thought, _it will come back at the end of the turn, and I can summon this guy. _

"I end my turn," he said.

A sixth card appeared in front of the Wastrilith.

"_I set two cards facedown," _it said, as two cards appeared in its Spell Zone, _"and then play Chain Energy."_

A Continuous Spell appeared in front of it.

"_Chain Energy requires each player to pay 500 Life Points to summon a Monster, set a card, or activate a card from his hand._

"_With that, I end my turn…"_

Jalal was a little surprised.

_No Monsters? _he thought, as he made a draw.

_One of those two facedown cards is probably deadly… But little does he know, I have Immortal Dragon set._

"I sacrifice Behemoth," he exclaimed.

The two-headed Dragon turned into an orb of energy.

"…to summon Des Volstgalph!"

In a flash, a large, fierce-looking Dragon with earthen-brown scales appeared. (2,200 ATK)

He grunted a little as the Chain Energy card glowed.

"Attack him directly!" he shouted.

Des Volstgalph blasted a bolt of pure energy from its jaws.

"_I activate… Dimensional Prison," _said the demon.

The bolt was halted, and Des Volstgalph vanished into a ripple of light.

"I thought so…" said Jalal. "I activate… Immortal Dragon!"

His facedown card lifted up.

"_And I activate Malfunction," _said the fiend, as its second facedown card lifted up. _"By paying 500 Life Points, your Trap Card is negated and reset."_

The Trap Card slammed back down.

"_And in response to that," _it continued, _"since you seem to like Dragons so much, I can now Special Summon Lock Dragon from my hand."_

A strange-looking Dragon appeared in front of the wastrilith. It looked thin and spindly, with no limbs aside from its wings, and a key-shaped snout. (2,000 DEF)

"_So long as this Monster is in Defense Mode," _it continued,_ "neither player may Special Summon."_

"Say WHAT?" said Jalal.

"_You heard me," _said the demon. _"Is that your move?"_

Jalal sighed.

"Yeah…" he said.

_The one Dragon-Type Monster I wish I'd never see, and this guy has it, _he thought.

**(J: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 7,000)**

"_My move…" _said the wastrilith, as a new card appeared in front of it.

"_I play the Continuous Spell Card, Toll," _it said, as a card appeared next to Chain Energy. _"Now, each player must pay 500 Life Points in order to declare an attack."_

"_And I end my turn…"_

**(J: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,500)**

Jalal drew a card, and looked at it.

Monster Reborn.

_Perfect… _he thought. _Of all the times I'd be happy to draw this card, this isn't one of them!_

He looked at the demon and his setup.

_I'm beginning to get the picture… _he thought. _His whole deck is about killing me via my own actions!_

"I summon Axe Dragonute!" he said.

The humanoid, axe-carrying Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

_If I can increase this guy's Attack Score by even 100 points, I'll be able to defeat Lock Dragon. Until then, I'll just have to wait…_

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(J: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,500)**

"_I draw…" _said the wastrilith, as another card appeared in front of it.

"_Then I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot,"_ it said, as a Spell Card spun around. _"Now, we each draw three cards."_

Jalal drew three times, and three more cards appeared in front of the demon.

"_I play Forbidden Chalice," _it continued, as a new Spell Card spun around. _"I select one Monster, and it gains 400 Attack Points, but loses its effect for the rest of the turn…_

"_The Monster I choose… Is Lock Dragon."_

Jalal's eyes opened wide.

"I can Special Summon now!" he shouted, as Immortal Dragon lifted up. "Des Volstgalph, return!"

Des Volstgalph leapt onto the field with a roar. (2,200 ATK)

"_Fool," _said the wastrilith. _"You did just what I wanted you to do…"_

Another Spell Card in its hand spun around.

"_I activate Misfortune,"_ it said. _"By not attacking this round, this insidious Spell Card allows me to deal damage to you equal to half the base Attack Points of one of your Monsters. I choose Des Volstgalph."_

Jalal shouted out in pain as a beam of energy shot from the card, hitting him in the gut.

"_My final move of the turn will be to play Supremacy Berry,"_ said the demon, as it played a fourth Spell Card. _"My Life Points are now lower than yours, so I gain 2,000 Life Points, which makes up for all that I paid this round due to Chain Energy._

"_With that, I end my turn. Make your move."_

**(J: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,500)**

Jalal's hand shook as he made a draw.

"I summon… Luster Dragon…" he said.

The beautiful, sapphire Dragon appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"_You're only hurting yourself," _said the wastrilith.

"We'll see about that," said Jalal. "Des Volstgalph, attack Lock Dragon!"

Des Volstgalph breathed his bolt of burning energy at the defending Dragon.

Then the one card in the demon's hand spun around.

"_I discard Stronghold Guardian from my hand," _it said.

A man hefting a huge castle on his shoulders appeared behind the watery fiend.

"_As a result, the Monster being attacked gains 1,500 Defense Points for the remainder of the turn."_

The bolt of energy bounced off Lock Dragon, and the backlash knocked Jalal backwards.

_That's playing dirty! _he thought. _Every move I make… I just seem to hurt myself more!_

"I… I have to end my turn…" he said.

**(J: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,500)**

"_My draw…"_ said the creature.

It drew one card.

It quickly disappeared, appearing in its Spell Zone.

"_Your move…"_ it said.

**(J: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,000)**

"Draw!" said Jalal, as he drew a card.

"I sacrifice Luster Dragon…" he said.

Luster Dragon turned into an orb of darkness.

"…for White-Horned Dragon!"

With a screech, the large, Dark Dragon with a unicorn's horn appeared next to Des Volstgalph. (2,200 ATK)

"And I'll remove all the Spell Cards in your Graveyard from play…"

Spellbook Inside the Pot, Misfortune, and Forbidden Chalice appeared behind him, and vanished.

"…to boost its Attack Score by 900 points!"

(3,100 ATK)

"_Not what I had hoped," _said the wastrilith, _"but I'll activate this anyway…"_

Its facedown card lifted up.

"_The dreaded Just Desserts. It deals you 500 points of damage for each Monster you control."_

A pair of ghostly arms reached out of the card, and grabbed Jalal by the neck. He gasped as they started to strangle him…

Then he gasped again, and fell on one knee as they let go.

**(J: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 6,000)**

Sweat was pouring down his face.

"Des Volstgalph…" he said.

The Dragon prepared to attack.

"WAIT!" shouted Jalal.

"_Yes?" _said the demon.

_Even if I destroy Lock Dragon and attack directly with White Horned Dragon… _thought Jalal. _Then what? _

_I'd only have 100 Life Points left! I'd be powerless! I wouldn't have enough Life Points to declare an attack due to Toll or set, summon or play a single card due to Chain Energy!_

"I… I end my turn…" he said.

A cruel laughter from the creature reached his mind as it drew another card.

"_You're feeling it, aren't you, mortal?" _it said. _"You're getting the feeling of utter hopelessness… The same feeling that drives people like Hebi-Na to the point where they prefer death over life… This is the feeling she felt when she saw her life in shambles, when she knew that there was nothing left for her in this world… She felt powerless…_

"_I set this card facedown and end my turn…"_

A card appeared in its Spell Zone.

"_If you think you can make a move, do so…"_

**(J: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 5,500)**

Jalal looked at his deck.

He wasn't powerless… Not yet… He had one card in his deck that could help… And so long as he knew it was there, he still had hope…

All he had to do was remember who he was doing this for… He thought of Hebi-Na in his mind… How long she had been suffering under the cruelty of whoever was at the top of this dark cathedral.

And with that at the front of his mind, he made his draw.

"THIS is my move, ugly!" he said, as he thrust the Spell Card forward. "It's called A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!"

"_Eh?" _said the demon.

He threw it into his Disk.

"It costs me 500 Life Points due to Chain Energy," said Jalal, "but that will be the last time, because by returning one Level 5 or higher Dragon to my hand…"

White-Horned Dragon vanished, and he caught its card dramatically.

"…all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed!"

A large Dragon made of pure energy appeared, and started to beat its wings. The wastrilith's eyes widened in horror as its Chain Energy, Toll, and facedown Magic Cylinder were all blown to shards.

"Now I can activate all the Spell Cards I want," continued Jalal. "And for each one, Des Volstgalph gains 200 Attack Points."

(2,400 ATK)

"Here's another one," he continued. "Card of Variation. I draw twice, and then either discard a card at the end of my turn, or take 3,000 points of damage."

Des Volstgalph's Attack Score went up to 2,600 as Jalal made two draws.

"Perfect!" he said. "I play Enemy Controller! I'll move your Lock Dragon to Attack Mode!"

The demon gasped again, as Lock Dragon tried futilely to form a fighting stance. Lacking claws or teeth, it didn't seem able to do so. (0 ATK) Des Volstgalph's Attack Score went up to 2,800.

"Next, I sacrifice Axe Dragonute to summon White-Horned Dragon again," said Jalal.

The Dragon axe-man vanished, and White-Horned Dragon reappeared. (2,200 ATK) Chain Energy and Toll appeared behind it and vanished. (2,800 ATK)

"Time to end this duel!" shouted Jalal. "Des Volstgalph, annihilate his Lock Dragon!"

Des Volstgalph blasted its beam of energy, and this time there was no stopping it. Lock Dragon screamed before being blown to gibbets.

"And when Des Volstgalph destroys a Monster, you take 500 extra points of damage," continued Jalal.

The wastrilith groaned in pain.

"White-Horned Dragon, finish him off!" ordered Jalal. "Horn Drive Buster!"

White Horned Dragon flew at the evil fiend, and stabbed it in the chest with its lance-like horn…

**(J: 600) - - - - - - - - - - (W: 0)**

The wastrilith collapsed into its pool with a tremendous splash. As it did so, a shimmering portal opened next to Jalal.

Jalal wasn't about to wait to see if it recovered. He ran to the portal, and dove inside.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Thunder rumbled over the soul's manor house.

Norg was in a very bad mood. He was never in a good mood, but Jalal's victory in their duel had soured it even worse. Brittlebeak was standing next to him, not in a very good mood himself.

Seeing his guards drag the bound and gagged Alzoozel into his presence made him perk up a little bit. She was still struggling, but they had made sure she couldn't break free for now.

"You've finally done it, haven't you?" asked Norg. "That guy is going to cause me more trouble than you ever could, Alzoozel! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Alzoozel was gagged, and couldn't possibly answer. Norg didn't mind… He liked her quiet.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson that's going to show both you and everyone else here what happens to those who defy me," said Norg, standing up.

"I'm going to have you taken to the town square and force everyone to watch you publically flogged…

"Either one-hundred times, or until you beg me to order it stopped."

He waved his hand, and the guards dragged her out.

It was a sentence that only a demon or the cruelest judges among mortals would hand down. When flogging was legal in human cultures, lashing someone a hundred times or more was considered by most, including most legal systems, just as harsh as the death penalty. The difference was, the prisoner would likely suffer a lot less if he was sentenced to die.

Still, Norg was hoping for Alzoozel to beg. If she did, his grip on the town would be cemented.

He spoke to Brittlebeak.

"Gather up all the townsfolk," he said. "Drag them to the town square if you have to. If they take refuge in the Fang and Flagon, set fire to it. I'll be there soon…"

As he left, Norg got up. He suddenly felt like a sandwich…

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**LOCK DRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Dragon/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Dark  
><strong>Level:<strong> 3  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 0  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 2,000

**Card Description: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except via its own effect. When a Counter Trap you control negates the effect(s) of a card(s) or effect(s) your opponent controls, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, neither player can Special Summon.

_Note: "Lock Dragon" was first used by the Guard Robot in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Get With the Program (Part 1)". _

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SPELLBOOK INSIDE THE POT**** (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Three glowing books floating out of the Pot of Greed.

**Card Description: **Both players draw 3 cards from their decks.

_Note: "Spellbook Inside the Pot" was first used by Judai in "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers of this episode. _

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next: I've found the soul, but as Alzoozel said, she's a prisoner, and in order to free her, I have to deal with her jailer, someone who I clearly recognize. Alzoozel has never met this demon, but she seems to be another one that the true force behind the Bells of Baphomet has created; in this case, out of Hebi-Na's greatest fears. **_

_**What's more, her deck contains cards that most duelists in the real world could not possibly have… But as the embodiment of Hebi-Na's nightmares, they reflect what she fears the most… A dark horror that caused her, and likely many other ophidia, to wake up at nights screaming in terror. And to free her, I have to defeat it, something that she failed to do when she fought this demon. **_

"_**Revelation" is coming soon.**_


	7. Revelations

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DRAW SEVEN**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Revelation**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

Jalal was rushing down a hallway in a place that now seemed to match the outside of the cathedral a lot more. The place was made of a strange, black crystal, with black marble pillars.

_At least they have style, _he thought.

He rushed through a doorway, and into a very large chamber. It seemed to be more than two-hundred feet to each side, and the ceiling was just as high overhead.

In the very center was a dais where he saw his goal.

An iron cage had been set up on it, and there was a prisoner inside it that he recognized only too well. It was Hebi-Na; it couldn't be anyone else. The soul.

Her wrists were bound by shackles that were attached to the floor of the cage, and she was gagged, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

"When I catch the one who's in charge," he muttered, as he ran up to her.

Hebi-Na at first looked excited when she saw him… But then a look of absolute terror came across her face. She tried to scream something, but she was gagged and only muffled cries came out.

"I know, I know," said Jalal. "A guard, right? Where there's a prisoner, there's usually a guard.

"Well, I'll just…"

He turned around…

And then he dodged and hit the floor just in time to avoid a large, scaly tail that swung towards him.

As he looked up, he realized he was wrong… This was no guard. If this cathedral was the soul's prison, then he was looking at the _warden. _

He recognized the face immediately. It was none other than Taramanda, the cruel ophidia anathema who had employed Hebi-Na as an assassin during her alliance to Sonja. The same face, the same hair, the same serpentine lower body in place of legs…

But she was even bigger, and had _six _arms. She was no longer an ophidia… This memory of the ophidia empress was now a marilith.

Marilith were beings of infinite cruelty, and were among the most powerful of demons. If demonic armies could even be said to have generals, the marilith filled this role. They were the only demons with the desire and the ability to lead the chaotic hordes, a job that they did surprisingly well. And despite being the commanders of armies, they were more than capable of fighting on their own, able to use a weapon in each of their six hands. Few warriors could survive a fight with one of these creatures, a fight that quickly turned into a storm of deadly flashing blades.

"Taramanda…" said Jalal.

"The name's Maramanda," said the demon, with a sly smile. "I was hoping you'd make it up here… Now she can _personally_ watch her champion fail…"

Jalal glanced at Hebi-Na, who was trembling like a leaf.

"I'm going to take a blind stab here…" said Jalal. "You're not just her memories of Taramanda… You just look like her because she was so afraid of her.

"What you really are… You're Fear itself, at least to her. You're exactly what causes that emotion in her mind.

"Franklin Roosevelt was right when he made that famous speech. Fear itself is something that we should be truly afraid of."

"You've got that right," said Maramanda.

Jalal drew his sword. Maramanda laughed. Her six hands glowed, and six scimitars appeared in them.

"Do you really think you'll have any more luck against me than you did against those bulezai?" she asked.

_Maybe I will… _thought Jalal.

He had a theory… And there was one way to test it…

He glanced back at Hebi-Na once more, and then leapt at the demon.

Swords flew. Maramanda tried to slash at Jalal with her six scimitars, but Jalal met each one with a blow from his blade, making sparks fly.

In the next instant, the marilith's six swords fell to the ground in twelve pieces.

She looked dumbfounded, but then Jalal struck. She screamed as he stabbed her in the belly.

She grunted and held the wound.

"How…" she said.

"I may not know much about fighting in the Soulscape," said Jalal with a grin, "but I'm a fast learner!"

Maramanda hissed.

"You still can't kill me…" she said.

"Maybe not yet…" said Jalal. "But you demons have been losing your grip slowly, ever since I got here…

"You're Fear… You're a demon created out of fear… Let me ask you something… What are demons afraid of?"

"Nothing!" cursed Maramanda.

"Oh, there's one thing that they're afraid of…" replied Jalal. "It's all about the nature of the curse of the Bells of Baphomet. Why does it let the victim suffer for days or even weeks before the assassin strikes?

"Because demons are creatures that feed off despair. Unlike most predators, prey that fights back doesn't satisfy them. They prefer victims that are terrified and begging for mercy, ones that are scared, destitute, and that have given up. Just like Hebi-Na was when she wanted to kill herself. Such victims add a flavor to the kill that beasts like you relish…

"What are demons afraid of? What is their worst enemy?

"Hope… Hope is the enemy of fear and despair. Hope is the light at the end of the darkest tunnel, what guides a lost soul back from the abyss…

"It's what you demons try to crush, because when there's hope, your power fades…

"As soon as she knew I was here, a spark of hope came to light in Hebi-Na's mind. When I defeated Brittlebeak, the spark became a flame. And with my victories over Norg and that thing in the cave below, it grew brighter and hotter."

Maramanda glared at him, but he went on.

"Want proof?" he asked. "The soul's power is growing… I'm certain of it…

"I had twenty-seven cards left in my deck… The only card among them that could have helped at that moment was A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. The chance that I would have drawn it at that exact moment was rather slim.

"You can use the old 'Heart of the Cards' theory if you want… But I know that Hebi-Na helped me draw that card, just like the power she's steadily gaining is helping me to fight you nightmares!"

"Are you sure?" asked Maramanda.

"Why else would you want her to see her champion fail?" asked Jalal.

Maramanda glared at him.

"Touché…" she said. "Well, I have news for you… You can wound me, but you still can't kill me… And seeing as she lost a wager when she was brought up here, only I can let her out of that cage. She lost a duel, so there's no escape.

"If you'll look closely, you'll see that it doesn't even have any way to open it. Neither do the shackles. No locks, no door, nothing. She doesn't leave unless I say so.

"But… I could be inclined to let her go if you made a similar wager…"

Jalal sighed. Making a deal with a demon was something to avoid. They were very different than their foes, the devils. Devils were liars, but when they actually gave their word, they were bound to it. Demons only kept their word when it benefitted them to do so.

He looked at Hebi-Na. He had another theory, and if it was right, dueling might work…

"Hang tight…" he said, as she looked at him. "I'll do my best…"

He sheathed his sword, and held up his Duel Disk.

"I should warn you," said Maramanda, "I may look like Taramanda, but she was _not _the thing that Hebi-Na was most afraid of…"

A Duel Disk appeared on her upper-left hand.

"And what _was _she most afraid of?" asked Jalal. "Me?"

"Not by a long shot," replied Maramanda. "Her greatest fear was something that _many _ophidia trembled at the thought of… It even gave Taramanda pause…

"And when I built my deck, I took that into consideration…

"Duel…"

**(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Maramanda: 8,000)**

"All right, draw!" shouted Jalal, making a draw.

He looked at the card.

_Hmm, Dread Dragon, _he thought.

He set it on his Disk, and it appeared facedown in Defense Mode.

"I'll end my turn there," he said.

"My move…" said Maramanda.

She drew a card.

"I summon Giant Rat," she said.

The large Earth-recruiter appeared with a loud squeak. (1,400 ATK)

"That slimy wastrilith may have been defensive," said Maramanda. "Me? I've always thought that the best defense is an aggressive _offense!"_

Giant Rat rushed at the set Monster. A small Dragon with, of all things, dreadlocks, appeared on the card and was crushed.

"I use Dread Dragon's effect," said Jalal. "When it's destroyed by battle, I get to take another Dragon that's Level 3 or lower from my deck."

He took another card from his deck, a second Dread Dragon.

Maramanda chuckled and fit a card into her Disk. A set card appeared behind Giant Rat.

"Your move…" she said.

Jalal quickly made a draw.

"I summon Lava Dragon!" he shouted.

There was a spout of magma, and the wingless, six-legged Dragon appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Toast that Rat!" he shouted. "Magma Blaze!"

Lava Dragon shot a blast of burning embers from its jaws, and Giant Rat squealed before it shattered.

"I use Giant Rat's effect!" shouted Maramanda. "Arise, Hardened Armed Dragon!"

Jalal stepped back in shock as a Monster appeared that he knew meant only one thing: trouble. It was a small Dragon with a bony exoskeleton. (1,500 ATK)

"And now, Miracle's Wake!" continued Maramanda, as her facedown card lifted up.

Giant Rat appeared once again. (1,400 ATK)

"Your strategy can't be more obvious…" said Jalal. "You plan to make a double sacrifice… And the resulting Monster will be immune to destruction by card effects, due to Hardened Armed Dragon's effect…

"Well, that won't stop me for long…"

"Wait until you see the Monster!" laughed Maramanda.

Jalal looked at her hard.

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)**

_Just what sort of horror is she planning to summon? _he thought, as she made a draw. _Unless it's immune to ALL card effects…_

"I sacrifice my two Monsters…" said Maramanda.

As Giant Rat and Hardened Armed Dragon vanished, Jalal was shocked as a glowing, violet outline was drawn on the floor of the large chamber…

An outline with a distinctive shape…

_The Sign of the Lizard… _he thought. _It can't be…_

To Jalal's unbelieving eyes, the impossible started to take shape in front of him. It now made sense why this chamber was so large. The Monster that appeared was almost as tall as the ceiling was high, and had the basic shape of a Gila monster standing on its hind legs, its black skin covered with green sigils and designs.

Jalal felt an overwhelming aura of pure Evil as Earthbound God Ccarayhua looked down on him… (2,800 ATK)

"HOW?" he shouted. "Defendguy is one thing, but this…"

"My power is far greater than Norg's…" said Maramanda. "And I have to admit, it wasn't easy… But if there's one thing that haunts Hebi-Na's darkest nightmares, it's Ccarayhua.

"The ophidia are divided in their views on it. Some, like those who watched Aki's final duel with Misty from a safe distance, regarded it as some crazy celebrity that they had to watch…

"But others, like Hebi-Na, were downright terrified of it. After all, ophidia mythology speaks of a great reptilian titan who will come and end the world. And when the Dark Signers unleashed their Earthbound Gods, many of them were certain that its appearance meant that the apocalypse had come!"

She chuckled.

"And if it weren't for the Signers, it may well _have _come!"

She laughed out loud.

"You should have seen Hebi-Na when I summoned this thing! She was so terrified she was barely able to draw a card!"

Jalal looked at Hebi-Na. She hung her head, as if too ashamed to look at him.

"I'm not afraid of it…" said Jalal, nervously.

"Yeah?" asked Maramanda, sounding a little more serious. "Well, let me spell it out for you… Because of Hardened Armed Dragon, it can't be destroyed by card effects. You'll notice there's no Field Spell in play. Even _that _little problem is taken care of.

"And because of its own effect, you can't attack it. Or me."

Ccarayhua lifted its giant claw.

"In other words," said the marilith, "it's indestructible… But _it _can attack_ you_… In fact, it can attack _directly!"_

Ccarayhua's claw slammed down, throwing Jalal towards Hebi-Na. She tried to scream something, but was still gagged.

**(J: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)**

Jalal slowly got up. He cricked his neck, and turned to Hebi-Na.

"I'll be fine…" he said.

"Thinking positive is only going to get you so far…" said Maramanda. "I end my turn…"

Jalal drew a card.

"I set a Monster," he said, "and then move Lava Dragon to Defense Mode."

A set Monster appeared, and then Lava Dragon curled up in a defensive position. (1,200 DEF)

"Then I'll toss this facedown, and end my turn."

A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

Maramanda drew a card.

She pointed, and Ccarayhua lifted its claw again.

_Come on… _thought Jalal. _Come and get me, you ugly son of a bitch…_

Then he braced himself, as the huge claw crashed down again, throwing him on his back.

**(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)**

He slowly got up.

Then his Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Damage Condenser…" he said.

He discarded a card from his hand.

"By doing that, I get to Special Summon a Monster from my deck with an Attack Score equal to or less than the amount of damage I just took…"

White-Horned Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,200 ATK)

"Big deal," said Maramanda. "It can't hurt my Monster. And one more blow, and you'll be trapped here forever…

"Sadly, that means that Dr. Gelinas's chance at winning the Nobel Prize will be ruined, along with the rest of his career… Once word gets out that someone subjected to the Bridge failed to wake up…"

"Watch…" said Jalal. "Your giant is about to fall…"

He drew a card.

"I move Lava Dragon back to Attack Mode…"

Lava Dragon stood up. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I Flip-Summon Dread Dragon…"

The set Monster flipped up, and Dread Dragon appeared. (1,100 ATK)

"Now, I Tune together Dread Dragon and White-Horned Dragon…"

Dread Dragon soared to the ceiling, and turned into a set of glowing rings. White-Horned Dragon followed, turning into a set of glowing starts.

"_From the blackest caverns under the world where the sun never shows, a creature of pure darkness lairs. Rise to the surface to challenge the abomination of nature!"_

**(*2 + *6 = *8)**

"_Synchro Summon… Dark End Dragon!"_

In an explosion of dark energy, a Dragon appeared that looked like the polar opposite of Light End Dragon. With black scales, its head looked like a cross between a Dragon's and Fiend's. It had a second fiendish face on its torso, and it had sharp claws and ragged wings. (2,600 ATK)

"Still trying to scare me?" asked Maramanda, shaking her head. "Your Synchro still can't defeat my Earthbound God."

"Want a bet?" asked Jalal. "By shaving 500 points off both of its Scores, Dark End Dragon can send your Monster to the Graveyard."

"You obviously don't listen!" laughed the marilith. "My Monster can't be destroyed!"

"I said 'send to the Graveyard'," replied Jalal. "I didn't say 'destroy'. There's a difference…

"Dark End Dragon, obliterate Earthbound God Ccarayhua! Dark Evaporation!"

Dark End Dragon's Attack Score fell to 2,100, and Ccarayhua howled as a wave of shadows mobbed it. Then it screamed, and vanished into black smoke.

"Impossible…" said Maramanda.

"Oh, it's possible…" said Jalal. "Even better, since I got rid of it without destroying it, it can't use its effect. And I still have its normal attack…

"Attack her directly!"

Hebi-Na's eyes opened, this time with excitement, as Dark End Dragon fired a blast of dark flames, hitting the wicked marilith in the torso.

"I'm not done with you yet…" said Jalal.

Maramanda screamed again as the flames from Lava Dragon scorched her.

**(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,100)**

"Okay…" she said with a snarl. "So you got lucky…"

"Yeah, well, what are you going to do now?" asked Jalal. "I defeated your Earthbound God! I crushed Hebi-Na's greatest fear! You might as well give up."

He set two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

"If you insist, make your move."

Maramanda laughed out loud.

"Give up?" she asked. "Why give up when there's still a chance I could summon a second Earthbound God Ccarayhua?"

Jalal looked shocked.

"You have two copies?" he asked.

"Nope," said the marilith. "Three… Sure, you're probably going to say that there's only one Ccarayhua…"

She drew a card.

"But if I can make copies, do you really think I was going to stop at one?"

"No bloody fair…" said Jalal.

"If you can show me where Ccarayhua is on the Limited List, I'll forfeit the duel," said Maramanda with a smile. "Until then, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Two set cards appeared in her Spell Zone.

Jalal made a draw.

_Two facedown cards, and no Monsters… _he thought. _I'm gonna regret this, but…_

"I summon Luster Dragon!" he shouted.

In a sparkle of light, the gemstone Dragon appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Lava Dragon, direct attack!" he shouted.

Lava Dragon launched its fire, and Jalal was surprised when it hit her with no opposition.

_The cards are just bluffs… _he thought. _I can defeat her…_

"Luster Dragon, you next!" he shouted.

Luster Dragon fired a beam of blue energy.

"Not this time!" shouted Maramanda.

One of her Trap Cards lifted up.

"I activate Sacrifice of Honor!" she shouted. "I let your first attack hit me because I could only use this card if my Life Points were 3,000 or less… Since they are, your attack is negated…"

Luster Dragon's beam fizzled.

"…I get two Ceremonial Tokens…"

Two strange-looking statues appeared in front of her. (0 ATK x2)

"AND, I get to take an Earthbound God from my deck!"

A second Earthbound God Ccarayhua slipped out of her deck.

"I'm not done attacking!" shouted Jalal.

Dark End Dragon launched its bolt of dark fire…

Maramanda grinned evilly as her second facedown card lifted up. It was Mirror Force. Jalal gasped as all three of his Monsters were blown to shards.

He took a card from his hand.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

With a roar, Dark End Dragon appeared again. (2,600 ATK)

"And in case you're wondering, its effect does work on Tokens."

Its Attack Score fell to 2,100 again, and one of the Ceremonial Tokens vanished.

"That was a puny effort…" said Maramanda.

Jalal set one more card in his Spell Zone, giving him a total of three.

"Move…" he said.

**(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,500)**

Maramanda drew a card.

"Seems I'm going to need a Field Spell after all…" she said. "And I've got a good one…"

She fit a card into her Field Slot.

"The dreaded… Alpha-Wave Emission…"

There was a low hum, but otherwise, Jalal didn't see any change of scenery.

"What?" he said.

Then Dark End Dragon roared. (1,800 ATK)

"Dark End Dragon?" he gasped. "What's wrong?"

"Alpha-Wave Emission is a unique Field Spell," explained Maramanda. "It doesn't benefit _any _Monster. It poisons the air with a disease that makes all Monsters sick.

"It causes them to lose 300 Attack Points, and makes them unable to attack.

"And now, I play Fiend's Sanctuary…"

She played the Spell Card, and the small metal stickman appeared. (0 ATK)

"Now, I'll sacrifice my Ceremonial Token and my Metal Fiend Token…"

The two Tokens burst into shards…

With a roar, Earthbound God Ccarayhua rose onto the field again. (2,800 ATK)

Then it groaned and held its chest. (2,500 ATK)

"It doesn't seem to be any more immune to the effect of your Field Spell than my Monster," said Jalal.

"It will be in a minute…" said the marilith, as she played a Spell Card.

With a twinkle of light, Mystical Elf appeared, holding what appeared to be Injection Fairy Lily's syringe. She flew up the huge titan's left arm.

"It's a Spell called Vaccination," said Maramanda. "It renders a Monster of my choice immune to Alpha-Wave Emission… And, as a bonus, to any card with the word 'Virus' in its name."

Mystical Elf gave the large shot to the Earthbound God, frowning as she did. She vanished, and its Attack Score went back up to 2,800.

"Now I'm gonna finish you off!" she shouted. "Attack…"

"Go, Spell Card!" shouted Jalal, as one of his cards shot up. "Enemy Controller!"

The Quickplay Spell activated, and Ccarayhua roared as it stumbled and was forced back into Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"Very clever, Stormbringer…" growled Maramanda. "I suppose you're going to use that Dragon's effect on it again during your turn, huh?"

She took another card from her hand, and an Equip Spell appeared behind Ccarayhua.

"It's called True Immortal," she said. "This is one card I didn't get from Hebi-Na's memories… The man upstairs gave it to me… He told me that it was one of Rudger's cards that he never managed to play…

"Anyway… It renders my Earthbound God immune to _all _card effects, until such time as I choose to attack with it."

"The man upstairs…" said Jalal. "Who…"

"None of your business," said the marilith. "I end my turn."

Jalal drew a card.

_Hope this works… _he thought, as he looked at it.

He set it, and it appeared in his Spell Zone.

"End!" he said.

Maramanda grinned, and made a draw. The huge Earthbound God stood up into Attack Mode. (2,800 ATK)

"Let's try this again!" she shouted.

Ccarayhua reached out to flatten Jalal…

"I activate… Staunch Defender!" shouted Jalal, as his first facedown card lifted up. "Now, your Earthbound God must attack my Dark End Dragon!"

"My pleasure!" laughed Maramanda, as it paused, and then started to lunge towards the Dragon.

"But I'm not done…" said Jalal. "Because you attacked, I can activate… Magical Trick Mirror!"

Another facedown card lifted up, and a weird device that looked like a wizard made of mirrors flew out of the card.

"The effect of this Trap becomes the same as a Normal Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I choose… Vaccination!

"Thus, my Dragon now shakes off the effects of your Field Spell."

Dark End Dragon roared. (2,100 ATK)

"Big deal!" shouted Maramanda.

"One more card to play…" said Jalal.

His last facedown card lifted up.

"Forbidden Chalice! Now, Dark End Dragon gains 400 Attack Points, AND loses its effect.

"Meaning it gains back the 500 Attack Points it spent…"

Taramanda turned white as Dark End Dragon shot up to 3,000 Attack Points. It roared loudly, and blasted a super-intense bolt of black fire that tore right through the giant Reptile.

Earthbound God Ccarayhua crashed to the floor, and exploded in a blast that shook the whole cathedral…

**(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,300)**

Jalal looked at the marilith though the flames as they started to die.

"I think I've proven my point…" he said. "I defeated Ccarayhua not once, but twice… That thing may have been Hebi-Na's greatest fear… But it certainly wasn't mine…"

"So tell me…" said Maramanda, her voice thick with anger. "What in the Abyss _are _you afraid of?"

Jalal sighed as he drew a card.

"Well, as I've said many times…" he said. "Only a foolish man truly fears nothing…

"But what one fears… that's something best left in the dark.

"Attack her directly!"

Dark Armed Dragon roared again, and the wicked demon screamed as its dark flames hit her, nearly knocking her over.

**(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)**

_All right… _thought Jalal. _Time to see if my theory was correct._

Maramanda hissed with rage. Her six arms glowed again, and six new scimitars appeared in them.

"I figured you were a liar…" said Jalal.

The marilith responded with an obscenity, and rushed at him, clearly with murder on her mind…

With one swift stroke, Jalal drew his sword, and stabbed deep, this time impaling the demon through the belly. Maramanda screamed, dropped her swords, and collapsed, writhing in pain, the sword still through her.

Jalal rushed up to the cage.

"The first part of my theory was right…" he said. "Let's see if the rest of it was…"

He grabbed hold of the bars, and as he'd hoped, was able to bend them like taffy.

"Yep," he said. "I was right."

He quickly removed the gag.

"What theory?" asked Hebi-Na.

"I figured she'd get even weaker if I defeated her," said Jalal.

He pried one of the shackles off her arm.

"Weak enough to tear this cage apart. Seems I was right."

He ripped the other shackle off.

"Jalal…" said Hebi-Na.

She sighed, with an embarrassed look on her face. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"There's so much I have to…"

"You can say all that later," said Jalal. "The Soulscape is your property, and you're gonna have to help me take it back…

"The man upstairs she was talking about… I assume that he's the one who's really in charge… Who is he?"

"I'm not sure…" said Hebi-Na. "That's the one place in the Soulscape I can't see. She goes up there from time to time, but he never goes down here…"

As she said this, a spiral stairway appeared, leading up and into the ceiling.

"Looks like he wants to talk to us…" said Jalal, ominously.

He looked at Hebi-Na.

"Think you have enough strength to help me?"

Hebi-Na concentrated.

Then a Duel Disk appeared on her arm.

"I think so…" she said. "You were right about helping me get some of my strength back, by the way…

"But there was something else…"

She looked at the deck in the Duel Disk.

"I've been building this deck ever since I lost to her the first time… Card by card, using memories I got from a book that Taramanda would have had me executed for if she had known I had it… No-one in the Soulscape knew about this deck… And it's the one thing that kept me from completely giving in to them."

Jalal lifted an eyebrow.

"We can only hope it's enough…" he said.

He went over to the marilith, who was still writhing in pain. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and with a kick, pulled it from her torso. Then he and Hebi-Na rushed to the spiral staircase.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Jalal and Hebi-Na heard thunder as they ascended the long staircase. Jalal had quickly decided that carrying her was the better option, as climbing a long stairway was _not _easy for an ophidia who didn't have legs.

"We should be getting there soon…" said Jalal.

"You know, Jalal…" she replied. "We've been fighting each other for so long… I never realized how handsome you were…"

"Hebi-Na, this is hardly the time…" said Jalal.

"I know…" sighed Hebi-Na, "but I can dream, can't I?

"And dreaming was all I could do… I almost wish you didn't have to wake me up after we took care of this problem…

"I mean, when I do wake up, I'm going to have to go back to jail, after all…"

Jalal stopped short. Then he realized that she didn't know…

"Actually, no," he said.

Hebi-Na looked at him in surprise.

"A lot has happened since then, Hebi-Na," he said, "and God-willing, when we take care of this problem, I'll explain it all to you…"

He walked up the last steps, into another chamber, and set her down.

They seemed to be in the belfry itself. The dark bells were overhead, still silent, and thick chains, apparently meant to be pulled by the bell-ringer, hung down.

In the middle of this chamber, a long figure stood…

He turned and looked at them. He was like something out of a nightmare…

He was humanoid, and man-sized, and covered almost completely in chains. They seemed to form a strange type of clothing. Chains dangled off of his arms, and ended in sharp blades and barbs. They covered his face too, the only parts uncovered being his mouth and left eye…

But that left eye was enough to convey a sense of incredible evil and dark power…

"Wait a minute…" said Hebi-Na. "Isn't that… a kyton?"

"Kytons aren't demons…" said Jalal. "They're devils…"

The creature made an annoyed grunt.

"People always think I'm a kyton…" he said with a sneer. "The fact of the matter is, _they _stole the look from _me."_

He glared at them.

"I'm older than the kytons…" he said. "I am Vucarik of the Chains, and unlike anyone else you have met here, Stormbringer, nothing in Hebi-Na's mind created me…

"I am the son of Pale Night, half-brother of Graz'zt the Dark Prince, former ruler of Nethuria…

"…and the one whom many mortals call the Demon of the Bells…"

"_You're _the assassin who kills the ones who are afflicted with the curse?" gasped Jalal.

"Yes," replied Vucarik. "And you should be commended for getting this far…

"But now it ends…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**MAGICAL TRICK MIRROR (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A weird device, vaguely shaped like a wizard, covered with mirrors.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack. Select 1 Normal Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard. This card's effect becomes the same as the selected Spell Card.

_Note: "Magical Trick Mirror" was used by Kaiba several times in the original anime, originally in "Clash in the Coliseum (Part 4)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**ALPHA-WAVE EMISSION**** (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **Similar to "Crush Card Virus" but with the Greek symbol for "Alpha" on the viruses.

**Card Description: **All face-up Monsters cannot attack, and lose 300 Attack Points.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**VACCINATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Mystical Elf riding Injection Fairy Lily's syringe.

**Card Description: **Select 1 Monster on the field, and put 1 "Vaccination Counter" on it. If that Monster is Tributed for a Tribute Summon or used for a Fusion Summon, the Tribute Summoned or Fusion Summoned Monster receives 1 "Vaccination Counter". A Monster with a "Vaccination Counter" is not affected by the effects of "Virus" cards or by "Alpha-Wave Emission".

_Note: "Alpha-Wave Emission" and "Vaccination" were first used by Kaiba in "Yu-Gi-Oh R" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**TRUE IMMORTAL (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **Earthbound God Ccapac Apu glowing with radiant light.

**Card Description: **Equip only to an "Earthbound God" Monster. The Equipped Monster is not affected by card effects. Destroy this card if you declare an attack with the Equipped Monster or use the Equipped Monster's effect. After your third End Phase after activating this card, destroy this card.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next: **_

_**Hebi-Na: There exists among the ophidia a legend that leaders like Taramanda would have us punished severely for even talking about. The legend says that long ago, there was a whole cabal of ophidia who not only rebuked **__**Seghulerak and pledged allegiance to a more benign god, but started to recruit other ophidia to their fold, promising greater glories to those who rejected evil and followed a path of light. **_

_**Is the legend true? Seghulerak's followers seemed pretty intent on quashing it. They burned whatever tracts on it they could find, and tortured or even killed any ophidia who openly spoke of it. Did they consider it blasphemy… Or were they scared of the competition if this sect might return?**_

_**With all my heart, I believed that the legend was true. I smuggled a book on the subject into Taramanda's palace, and read it when I was sure I wouldn't be caught… And over the past year, I've created a deck in the images of these legendary heroes, one card at a time…**_

_**I just wish I had time to test it before having to bet my life on it… But at least I have Jalal helping me. It's him and me against this thing in front of us. **_

"_**Final Mix" is coming soon. **_


	8. Final Mix

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DRAW EIGHT**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Final Mix**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

In the town square in the middle of the Soulscape, a scaffold had been set up. A large crowd had gathered, and the bulezai were still in the process of escorting more of the townsfolk there, many of them at spearpoint.

Norg and Brittlebeak stood to one side, Brittlebeak holding a leather scourge which he was very anxious to use. Alzoozel was nearby on her knees, still securely chained and gagged, under heavy guard.

A bulezai came up to Norg.

"We've almost got everyone," he said. "We…"

"Almost?" interrupted Norg.

He slapped the bulezai.

"Did I hear 'almost'?" he asked. "Almost only counts in horseshoes and nuclear attacks! Don't report back to me until every single resident of this town is here!"

"We'll make another run-through…" said the frightened bulezai.

"Stupid…" growled Norg, as the bulezai went back to the others.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

"Vucarik of the Chains, huh?" said Jalal. "I've heard of Pale Night, I've certainly heard of Graz'zt… I've even heard of Lupercio, another demon who claims to be Pale Night's son…

"But you… You I've never heard of…"

Vucarik growled.

"Not many outside the Abyss have…" he said. "I might as well tell you… It's a long story…"

"They always like talking about themselves, don't they?" whispered Hebi-Na.

"Quiet," responded Jalal. "We might learn something…"

"I wasn't always the Demon of the Bells," said Vucarik, with a sigh. "I was once an Abyssal Lord who ruled the realm of Nethuria. I wasn't nearly as powerful as my brother Graz'zt, but I did have power…

"But I also had curiosity, something most demon lords didn't have. I spent most of my time exploring the other layers of the Abyss, learning the secrets of the nearly infinitely-large plane. As a result, I was rarely at home. My absence gave an ambitious balor general the opportunity it needed to usurp my seat of power and overthrow me.

"I tried many times to regain my throne, but failed each time. Eventually, I had two choices…

"The first choice was to pledge servitude to a stronger demon lord…

"As the son of Pale Night, the Mother of Demons, I would not do this! I had my pride. I refused to humiliate myself by becoming what demons call a 'Parasite of Power'!"

He paused for a minute, and then calmed down.

"My other option… Become a mercenary, and offer my services to all demon lords in exchange for power. By doing so, someday I could become powerful enough to wrest back control of my home.

"I decided that this was the best option, so I made a deal with Pale Night. She rarely associates with other demons, even her sons, but we reached an agreement. What I promised her, I won't say.

"So she, in turn, made a deal with Baphomet, whose realm is on the same layer of the Abyss as hers…

"I have no idea why she remains his ally, when she could obliterate him and take his lands. Baphomet is a barbaric cretin, crude even by demon standards…"

"So then, a violent coup is okay, so long as it doesn't happen to you?" asked Hebi-Na. "Kind of hypocritical…"

Vucarik glared at her.

"I never said it was wrong," he said, through his teeth. "It happens all the time in the Abyss… But I when I finally do retake my throne, that usurper will suffer for years before I allow him to die…"

He took some deep breaths.

"Now where was I?" he said. "Right… If there's one thing Baphomet's followers can do well, it's build things. So he provided the laborers who constructed this cathedral and forged the actual Bells. Due to the enormous ego in his thick skull, he insisted that they be named after him. In its true state, the stained glass window in the front has an image of him on it.

"But when it was completed, Pale Night imbued the Bells with her own power, which, in turn, is derived from the very core of the Abyss, and then bonded them to me… I was now the caretaker of one of the deadliest curses in existence, so long as I only used it in my new role as a mercenary.

"From that point on, the word spread. Abyssal Lords could grant their most favored mortal worshippers or allies uses of the Bells of Baphomet. When such a mortal wanted to use the curse on a mortal who had cheated or deeply offended him, I was notified, and I used my power over this structure to transport it to the victim's Soulscape."

"Where you used the Bells to drive the victim mad," said Jalal, in disgust. "And once he or she had suffered enough in your eyes, you manifested yourself in the Material Plane and tore him apart."

"That was what the deal entailed," said Vucarik. "Did you expect merciful deaths from those who had insulted the Abyssal Lords?

"When I was called to punish someone who had insulted an aboleth who was a close ally of the Blood Queen, I thought it would be routine… But that accursed hellfire warlock silenced the Bells by making her sleep.

"I figured that it wouldn't last long… Thus far, every victim who had somehow silenced the bells had been given euthanasia, and my job was ended by default. But you, Stormbringer! Trying to make you give up is like trying to make a stone bleed! You refused to believe that no cure existed. Hebi-Na lived, and I was trapped here!

"I couldn't finish my job… I can't manifest myself in the Material Plane unless the victim can actually hear the Bells…"

"So why have you been torturing her soul all this time?" asked Jalal, angrily. "For fun?"

"I won't deny that I have enjoyed it," said Vucarik, "but I am merely following the letter of my agreement with the Blood Queen. Because the aboleth requested my services, I must make certain that the chosen victim suffers until I can kill her. Because I couldn't do so with the Bells, I found other methods."

"You're insane…" said Jalal.

"Believe me, I tried to arrange for an 'accidental' death for this woman so that the bargain would be ended by default," said Vucarik, "but Shadowchaser Headquarters was too well-fortified. My last attempt was mere hours ago… The Bridge made it possible to send a servant right into the room where your physical bodies lay asleep. But that doctor defeated my servant before it could destroy the Bridge…"

Jalal drew his sword.

"Oh, please…" said Vucarik.

A chain shot from his arm, and it wrapped around the sword. Then he gave a yank, and the blade snapped in half.

"You forget, Stormbringer…" he said, his one visible eye glowing. "Unlike Norg and Maramanda and the others, I'm no dark emotion or painful memory… I'm a _real _creature from the dark depths of the Abyss."

He glowed, and grew to three times his size.

"_And I have power unlike you could ever believe!"_

"Jalal, draw a Monster!" shouted Hebi-Na.

"Which one?" gasped Jalal.

"A _big _one!" she replied.

Jalal drew the top card off his deck.

Tyrant Dragon.

_Pretty big… _he thought. _But…_

Then he was shocked to see Tyrant Dragon appear in front of him. Hebi-Na closed her eyes and concentrated, and it spread its wings, and flew towards the iron Bells.

"_What are you doing?" _shouted Vucarik. _"Stay away from there!"_

Then he screamed as Tyrant Dragon breathed fire, turning one of the Bells red hot.

"Well…" said Jalal. "It seems like curing the Bells of Baphomet is easier than everyone thought. One simply has to get in a position where he can launch an assault on them."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" asked Hebi-Na. "It didn't take me long to figure out that you require those Bells to survive… The spell that Pale Night cast… It created a sort of symbiosis between you and them."

"_Get that Dragon away from them or I'll pound you into paste…" _growled Vucarik.

"Can you manage to do that before it reduces them to molten metal?" asked Hebi-Na.

"Uh, Hebi-Na?" asked Jalal. "He just might…"

"I'm getting stronger, Vucarik," said Hebi-Na. "Jalal is slowly helping me regain control of this place. It's _my _Soulscape, after all. You and your thugs are trespassing on my property.

"But I'm willing to duel you… Winner takes all…"

Vucarik calmed down. He shrank to his normal size.

"I win, you take your goons, pack up your Bells, and leave this place forever," she said. "You win, Jalal leaves, and we go back to the way it was before."

"I have a better idea…" said Vucarik. "I duel both of you simultaneously… And if I win, he ends up with you."

Jalal looked at Hebi-Na. Tyrant Dragon vanished.

Then she looked at her deck.

She could duel with Jalal… In fact, Jalal's deck was one of the few that would work nicely with this new deck she had built.

"I'm game if you are, Vucarik," said Jalal.

The chains on the demon's left arm came alive, and then turned into liquid. Quickly, they formed into a Duel Disk of the same style of the ones used by the other demons.

"All right, here's how the rules are going to work," he said.

"You demons only want rules so you can break them," replied Jalal.

"Feh," said Vucarik. "Now, if I was a big jerk like that idiot Darkness, I'd make this a Triangle Duel and try to convince you two to fight each other…

"But unlike him, I'm realistic, not to mention much smarter. I know that a plan like that would never work because it never has. Some folks think that people like me who embrace Chaos are incapable of forming strategies at all… And while that is true for many demons, there are exceptions."

"Like you, I suppose?" asked Jalal.

"Exactly," said Vucarik. "Thus, you two will alternate turns… You'll share a Life Point pool of 8,'ll share one field and one Graveyard.

"AND, because it's two against one, I'm allowed to draw twice during each of my Draw Phases."

"Sounds fair," said Jalal.

He looked at Hebi-Na.

_How far we've come… _he thought. _Hebi-Na was once a dangerous criminal that we were trying to bring to justice… Now I'm her partner…_

Three Duel Disks activated.

**(Jalal/Hebi-Na: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vucarik: 8,000)**

"The lady may have the first move…" said Vucarik.

Hebi-Na slowly moved her coils into position, and made her first draw. She looked over the six cards in her hand.

"I summon Serpent Knight Moccasin," she said.

She played the card, and a tall, bald ophidia wearing an Egyptian-style tunic, in shades of black and grey, wearing gold jewelry (also Egyptian-style) appeared. He held no weapons, but made a stance similar to that of a martial artist. (1,000 ATK)

_A "Serpent Knight"? _thought Jalal.

"I'll end my turn there," said Hebi-Na.

"Huh…" said Vucarik. "Talk about a dumb move…

He drew two cards.

"I summon Oshaleon to the field."

He played the card, and a large lizard with green scales, yellow in front, blue at the rear, and three white stars on its back, appeared in front of him. (1,400 ATK)

He smirked a little, and Hebi-Na looked a little nervous.

"Attack her Monster!" he shouted.

Oshaleon blasted a bolt of energy from its eyes, and Serpent Knight Moccasin was blown to shards.

"You just activated his effect!" shouted Hebi-Na. "When Moccasin is destroyed by battle, I get to Special Summon another Serpent Knight from my deck that has 1,500 or less Attack Points.

"So… I'll bring out Serpent Knight Copperhead!"

Another male ophidia appeared, this one dressed in a blue tunic that included a keffiyeh held in place by a golden headband with a snake-like symbol on the front. He carried two curved kukri. (1,400 ATK)

"Humph…" said Vucarik. "I'll set two cards facedown…"

Two cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"And my turn is over…"

**(J/H: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 8,000)**

Jalal stepped into position.

He drew a card. It was Dragon's Rage.

_Well, here goes… _he thought.

He was about to take Luster Dragon from his hand.

"Uh, Jalal?" said Hebi-Na.

Jalal paused. He noticed that Serpent Knight Copperhead was on his Duel Disk. He quickly read the card text.

_Hey… _he thought.

He took a different card from his hand.

"I'm sacrificing Hebi-Na's Monster…" he said.

Copperhead vanished.

"…to summon Des Volstgalph!"

With a roar, Des Volstgalph loomed over the field.

"And when Serpent Knight Copperhead is sacrificed for the summoning of a Reptile or Dragon, I get to Special Summon a Serpent Knight from my – or should I say _our – _Graveyard."

Serpent Knight Moccasin reappeared, kneeling and shielding himself in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"All right, Des Volstgalph!" he shouted. "Destroy Oshaleon!"

The Dragon blasted its beam of energy, and Vucarik grunted as the lizard exploded.

"I activate… Snake Whistle!" exclaimed the demon, as one of his facedown cards lifted up. "I'll Special Summon another Oshaleon!"

A second of the colorful lizards appeared in the first one's place.

"And, Miracle's Wake!" he continued, as the second Trap Card activated.

The first Oshaleon appeared next to the second one. (1,400 ATK x2)

Jalal set two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared behind Des Volstgalph.

**(J/H: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,700)**

"So, Hebi-Na…" said Jalal. "Exactly who are these Serpent Knights?"

"Long ago…" said Hebi-Na, "or so the legend goes, there was a secret sect of ophidia who turned away from Seghulerak and worshipped Osiris. They did their best to do good where the more traditional ophidia did only evil.

"They believed that if the served Osiris faithfully, they would be reborn in the next life as dragons! Heh… That's kind of why some of the cards have some synergy with Dragon-Type Monsters…

"It's kind of the ultimate dream for all ophidia… Most of them have a healthy respect for dragons… So do troglodytes, lizard men, and other reptilian Shadowkind… We all dream of having their great power… Some reptile Shadows even tried worshipping Tiamat, but the most she could ever promise a worshipper other than a true dragon is servitude in Hell as one of her diabolic soldiers… Not exactly appealing.

"Not all ophidia believe the legend of the Serpent Knights… But some do… Some who grow tired of the old traditions want so much to believe that there are other ways… The legend gave them hope…"

"Humph…" said Vucarik. "Your belief in fairy tales won't help you against this…

"It's my move…"

He made two draws.

"I play the Double Summon Spell Card," he said, as a Spell Card appeared in front of him. "I'm sure you know what that means."

Des Volstgalph growled a little. (2,400 ATK)

"So I'll use my ordinary Normal Summon, and sacrifice one Oshaleon…"

One of the lizards turned into a big watery blob.

"I summon the Giant Spitting Cobra!"

The blob burst, and a huge, evil-looking cobra appeared, hissing at Jalal and Hebi-Na. (2,000 ATK)

"Due to its effect," said Vucarik, "all opposing Monsters lose 400 Attack Points for as long as it's on the field…"

Des Volstgalph fell to an Attack Score of 2,000.

"Now, for my second Normal Summon," he continued, "I'll sacrifice my other Oshaleon…"

The second small lizard vanished.

"To summon its advanced form… Majioshaleon!"

An even larger, even more colorful lizard appeared in place of the smaller lizard. It was a rainbow of colors, with stars over its eyes, stars on its back, and what looked like a red bow tie on its collar. (2,000 ATK)

"Not only does this Reptile have a trampling effect…" said Vucarik.

"But when your opponent controls at least one Spell or Trap…" said Hebi-Na, "it can't be attacked…

"Jalal… I know this deck he's using… It's my original deck…"

"Huh?" asked Jalal.

"The deck I had when I dueled Shichiro!" she exclaimed. "The one I used right before he arrested me!

"He's using it to bring back the most painful memories of my life…"

Vucarik grinned.

"True, it's your old deck," he said. "Mostly… Of course, the deck wasn't too great back then… After all, you lost. But I've made some improvements. It should work this time."

He played a Spell Card.

"I play… Shrink," he said.

Des Volstgalph rose to 2,200 Attack Points, but then fell to 1,100.

"Giant Spitting Cobra, attack that Dragon!" he ordered. "Venom Spit!"

The Cobra spat a stream of corrosive poison, and Des Volstgalph melted into a steaming puddle of ooze.

"Majioshaleon, wipe out that Serpent Knight! Spectrum Blast!"

The lizard blasted a multicolored stream from its eyes, blowing Moccasin to shards.

"And because I doubt Stormbringer has any Serpent Knights in his deck," he continued, "its effect can't be used…"

**(J/H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,700)**

"It's your move…"

Hebi-Na made a draw.

"I first activate Jalal's Call of the Haunted!" she exclaimed.

The facedown card lifted up, and Des Volstgalph appeared once again. (2,200 ATK)

"It's pointless," said Vucarik. "The fear that my Cobra's gaze causes will still weaken it."

(1,800 ATK)

"Well, let's see what I can do about that," said Hebi-Na. "I summon Serpent Knight Sidewinder!"

Another ophidia appeared, this one dressed in armor, again of Egyptian style, made of bronze. He carried a long spear and a shield with a silhouette of a snake etched on it. (1,800 ATK)

"And?" asked Vucarik. "Even his Attack Score will be reduced by my Cobra."

(1,400 ATK)

"And I'll reduce it even further!" said Hebi-Na. "Remember the relation my Serpent Knights have with Dragons? Sidewinder can lend any amount of his Attack Points to a Dragon or another Reptile for one round."

Sidewinder's Attack Score fell to 1,000, and Des Volstgalph's rose to 2,200.

"And that means that Des Volstgalph can get just revenge against your Cobra!"

Des Volstgalph fired its bolt of energy, blasting Giant Spitting Cobra to shards.

"Ergh…" grunted Vucarik.

**(J/H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,000)**

"You may have defeated my Cobra," said the demon, "but don't forget, Majioshaleon can't be attacked so long as you have any Spell or Trap Cards…

"And by the way, if it's the only Monster I have, that means you can't attack at all…"

"I end my turn…" said Hebi-Na, slowly. "Which means the Attack Scores of my Monsters return to normal."

Sidewinder returned to an Attack Score of 1,800.

"I draw two cards," said Vucarik, drawing twice.

"And then I summon Gagagigo."

He played the card, and the tall, green-scaled lizard man appeared. (1,850 ATK)

"Now, Majioshaleon, get that Serpent Knight out of my sight!"

Majioshaleon blasted its colored beam, and Sidewinder was obliterated.

"Now, the Spell Card, Rush Recklessly," continued the demon, as he threw a Quickplay into his Disk.

Gagagigo flexed his muscles. (2,550 ATK) Des Volstgalph rose to an Attack Score of 2,400.

"Humph," said Vucarik. "As if that will help…"

Gagagigo leapt at the large Dragon, and with a slash of his claw, blew it into shards.

**(J/H: 6,150) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,000)**

"Once again, I have you outnumbered two Monsters to none," said Vucarik. "Make your move, Stormbringer… I have plenty more…"

Jalal made a draw, and looked at Vucarik angrily.

"I summon Luster Dragon…" he said.

The large sapphire appeared, and then it burst, releasing the Dragon from within. (1,900 ATK)

"You have a pretty big ego yourself, Vucarik," said Jalal. "It's time someone put you in your place…

"I play Dragon's Gunfire. And since Majioshaleon has only 800 Defense Points…"

Vucarik took a step backwards as the colorful lizard exploded.

"Now my Luster Dragon attacks your Gagagigo!" he shouted.

Luster Dragon blasted its Sapphire Flash, and Gagagigo exploded into little pieces.

Jalal glared at Vucarik. He took a card from his hand, and set it on his Disk. A new facedown card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Make your move…" he said.

**(J/H: 6,150) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,950)**

Vucarik glared back at him, and made two draws.

He set one of them on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

"That's all for now…" he said.

Hebi-Na made a draw.

_Let's see here… _she thought.

"I play Heaven's Lost Property," she said. "This card lets each player draw three cards… So long as they both then discard two."

Vucarik smirked and made three draws. He looked at them, and then discarded two Venom Cobras. Hebi-Na drew three, and then discarded Serpent Knight Adder and Serpent Knight Anaconda.

"I summon Serpent Knight Cottonmouth!" she exclaimed.

She played the card, and a thin ophidia in a white toga and the crown of an Egyptian nobleman appeared. He had brown scales, and carried an Egyptian crook. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, uh…" she said.

"Think about it, Hebi-Na…" said Jalal. "He's using your old deck, remember? If you were using the deck, what would you set in Defense Mode?"

Hebi-Na looked at the card.

_I'd probably set another Venom Cobra, or Serpentine Princess, _she thought. _And both are too strong for Luster Dragon…_

"I set one card facedown, and end my turn…" she said, as another card appeared in her Spell Zone.

Vucarik chuckled as he made two draws.

"In play Mystical Space Typhoon!" he said, playing a card.

The concentrated windstorm blew across the field, blowing Dragon's Rage to pieces.

"Pathetic," he said, playing another Spell Card. "I play Gold Sarcophagus."

A large, gold chest with the Eye of Wdjat on it appeared in front of him. A card slipped out of his deck.

He looked at it. Mirror Force.

The card lowered into the Sarcophagus, and it sank into the ground.

"In just two of my Standby Phases, that card will be mine," he said. "In the meantime, I'll sacrifice my Monster…"

His facedown Monster vanished.

"…for Giga Gagagigo."

A large, hulking version of Gagagigo, covered with cybernetic implants, appeared in front of him. (2,450 ATK)

"Summon as many of these fake heroes as you want," said Vucarik. "I'm actually having fun crushing them."

Giga Gagagigo pounced at Cottonmouth, striking him down with its mighty claw.

"Ergh…" said Hebi-Na.

"You never learn, do you? My Serpent Knights know how to take one for the team!

"When Cottonmouth is destroyed, I get to Special Summon another Serpent Knight from my Graveyard! Like Serpent Knight Adder!"

In a flash, a very muscular Serpent Knight appeared. He was bald, with grey scales, and was wearing only a kilt. He knelt, and crossed his arms in Defense Mode. (2,200 DEF)

"I end my turn…" said Vucarik, through his teeth.

**(J/H: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,950)**

Jalal made a draw.

He quickly read the effect of Serpent Knight Adder on his Duel Disk.

He set a card, and a concealed Monster appeared. Then he turned Luster Dragon's card, and it crouched in Defense Mode. (1,600 DEF)

Then he set another card, and another set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Done…" he said.

Vucarik made two draws.

"I activate Snake Rain!" he exclaimed.

He discarded a card, a second Snake Whistle, and then took four cards from his deck, and discarded them.

_If he's using Hebi-Na's old deck, _thought Jalal, _this could only mean one thing… He's planning to summon Ananta…_

"Giga Gagagigo," ordered Vucarik, "attack her Adder!"

"I don't think so!" shouted Jalal.

One of his facedown cards lifted up.

"I activate Staunch Defender! Now, your Monster can only attack Luster Dragon!"

The large Reptile lunged at the Dragon, and tore it in half with its mighty claw.

"You protected my Monster…" said Hebi-Na.

"I had a feeling you needed him…" said Jalal. "Now show this guy who's boss, eh?"

Hebi-Na grinned as she made a draw.

"I summon Serpent Knight Asp!" she shouted.

This time, Jalal was surprised by the Monster that appeared. The ophidia was clearly female… And it resembled Hebi-Na herself. The same body shape (human woman's torso and head with a snake's lower body), the same face, and the same hair style… Her bustier and jewelry were still Egyptian-style, and she carried a scimitar. (1,800 ATK)

Jalal got the idea… This wasn't an image of any Serpent Knight that Hebi-Na had read about… It reflected her dreams of becoming one…

Hebi-Na's facedown card that she had set her last turn lifted up.

"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter," she said.

A weird machine appeared behind Serpent Knight Asp, and she vanished in a twinkling of light.

"Because Asp was removed from play by my own card effect," she continued, "I get to Special Summon a Serpent Knight from my Graveyard…

"So here comes Serpent Knight Anaconda!"

In a flourish, a new Serpent Knight leapt onto the field. He was just as muscular as Adder, but while Adder was defensive, it was clear that this guy was built for _offense. _He was wearing the finest armor that was available in the time of the Pharaoh, held a large shield and a very large khopesh. (2,500 ATK)

"Eh?" said Vucarik.

"Attack!" shouted Hebi-Na.

Anaconda grunted, and charged at Giga Gagagigo, cleaving the lizard man in two at the waist.

"No big deal…" said Vucarik.

"Well here's a big deal," said Hebi-Na. "Due to Anaconda's effect, you take 200 points of damage for every Level of your destroyed Monster. That's 1,000 extra points."

Vucarik grunted in pain.

"And by the way," said Hebi-Na, "so long as Adder is on the field, all of my Serpent Knights except Adder himself can't be destroyed by battle.

"I set three cards facedown, and end my turn," she said, as three set cards flashed into existence. "That means Asp comes back."

The machine reappeared, and Asp materialized. (1,800 ATK)

**(J/H: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,900)**

"I draw two cards…" said Vucarik, drawing twice.

He looked at the two Trap Cards.

"First thing's first…"

The Gold Sarcophagus rose out of the ground. The lid opened, and Mirror Force appeared in his hand.

"The time has arrived…" he said. "I remove every last Reptile in my Graveyard from play…"

Thirteen cards fell out of his discard slot.

_I knew this was coming, _thought Jalal. _But if Hebi-Na uses my Trap Card, we should be all right for at least one round…_

With a multitude of roars, the seven-headed form of Evil Dragon Ananta appeared looming above the field. It glared at Hebi-Na with its fourteen glowing eyes.

"And it's Attack Score is 600 times the number of Reptiles I removed," said Vucarik. "But I don't have to tell you that…"

(7,800 ATK)

"Brings back memories, doesn't it? Don't you remember how much you loved using this card, Hebi-Na?

"Don't you remember how that poor informant screamed when you attacked directly with it?"

"It's a part of my life that I buried a long time ago!" shouted Hebi-Na. "That thing…"

She looked away.

"I want no part of it anymore…"

_That card… _thought Jalal. _Norg is the symbol of what she once was… But Ananta is the symbol of what she used to do… It's all in the name… "Evil" Dragon Ananta. _

_So this is the true test… What will be the victor? The evil that comes from her old deck… Or the good that the Serpent Knights represent?_

"Like I said, Hebi-Na…" continued the demon, "I improved on this deck a little… And since I haven't Normal Summoned yet…"

He played another card, and there was another roar, accompanied by a bonfire. A hideous-looking demon crouched on all fours, with a crimson exoskeleton and large wings, appeared out of the blaze.

"Gren Maju Da Eiza!" screamed Hebi-Na.

"That's right," said Vucarik, "and its Attack Score is 400 times the number of cards I've removed from play."

(5,200 ATK)

"You may not want Ananta…" he said with a smile. "But she sure wants _you!"_

Ananta roared, and made a rush for Serpent Knight Asp…

"I activate… Half Unbreak!" screamed Hebi-Na.

Jalal's facedown card lifted up.

"Now, I choose one of my Monsters, and for the remainder of the turn, all damage I take from battles involving it are halved!"

Asp lifted her weapon, and blocked Ananta's vicious jaws as they came crashing down. Hebi-Na was still thrown backwards by the impact.

**(J/H: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,900)**

"You're still about to lose!" shouted Vucarik. "All I have to do is attack your Anaconda with my Chaos Fiend!"

Hebi-Na grunted, and one of her facedown cards lifted up.

"I activate Destruct Potion!" she shouted.

Anaconda shattered.

"Now, Anaconda isn't an available target!" she shouted. "And I gain Life Points equal to his Attack Points!"

Vucarik's one visible eye glowed with anger.

"Gren Maju Da Eiza…" he cursed. "Attack Serpent Knight Asp with Chaos Flames!"

A super-intense stream of fire shot towards Asp… Once again, she resisted it, but Hebi-Na screamed in pain.

"Hebi-Na!" shouted Jalal.

Hebi-Na took some deep breaths.

"I'm fine…" she said.

**(J/H: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,900)**

Vucarik threw three cards into his Disk, and three facedown cards appeared.

"I end my turn," he said, "and use the effect of Evil Dragon Ananta to destroy Serpent Knight Adder!"

Adder shattered into pixels.

"It's your move, Stormbringer," he said.

_And it will be the last move… _he thought. _With Mirror Force, Trap Hole, and Magic Drain set, and him down to one card, I can't lose…_

Jalal made a draw.

Mirage Dragon.

_Okay… _he thought. _This guy is NOT gonna do it…_

He looked at the two Trap Cards that Hebi-Na had set.

_Hope this works… _he thought. _If it doesn't… She'll never forgive me…_

One of them lifted up.

"I activate Reckless Greed!" he shouted.

He made two draws.

Then his eyes opened wide.

One of the two cards was the one Alzoozel had given him.

Then it slowly changed. The Level of the Monster appeared, then the Attribute, then the Attack, Defense, then text… Finally, the picture…

Jalal was shocked… With all his influence and money, this was one Dragon that he had never been able to obtain…

Hebi-Na's other facedown card lifted up.

"I use Hebi-Na's Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

Luster Dragon appeared again with a roar. (1,900 ATK)

"And now, I sacrifice Luster Dragon and my facedown Golem Dragon…"

The two Monsters turned into a large, dark orb…

With a loud roar, the biggest Dragon yet appeared in the belfry. It had pitch-black scales, claws like swords, scythe-like blades on its wrists, a great amount of teeth, huge wings, blood-red orbs covering its armor, and stood upright. (0 ATK)

"WHAT?" said Vucarik. "Zero Attack Points…"

Then his one eye opened in horror when he realized what Jalal had summoned…

"I pay half my Life Points to use the effect of Gandora, Dragon of Destruction!" shouted Jalal. "Boundless Giga Rays!"

Vucarik screamed as an explosion shook the field, and both his Monsters, all three of his Trap Cards, as well as Hebi-Na's Serpent Knight Asp and Call of the Haunted were eradicated.

Vucarik looked up as he held his head.

"No…" he said.

The main bell of the Bells of Baphomet… It had taken damage from that explosion too… A large crack was in it.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Several of the buildings in town were burning, but the bulezai had managed to get everyone to the town square. Alzoozel was standing with her hands bound to the whipping post, her shirt and cloak removed. The gag was removed – Norg wanted her to be heard clearly if she decided to beg, after all – but she still had nothing to say.

Brittlebeak was behind her, and bulezai were surrounding the scaffold. The vrock pulled the scourge taunt, about to administer the sentence.

Then something happened. All the bulezai screamed and clutched their stomachs. Before anyone could react, they vanished into clouds of dust.

Then Brittlebeak screamed and dropped the weapon.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Norg.

Then Brittlebeak vanished into a cloud of dust too. Then Norg screamed too, and held his ample gut. After a second, he had met the same fate.

It took the crowd a minute to take this in. Then Guiseppe and Malore rushed up onto the scaffold.

"What's happening?" asked Alzoozel.

"I don't know," said Guiseppe, as he started to untie her. "Something good, I think…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

"Hurts?" said Jalal. "It's different when it's you, isn't it? And it's just starting, because for each card that Gandora just obliterated, it gains 300 Attack Points."

(2,100 ATK)

"And since Serpent Knight Asp was just removed from play by my own card effect… Well, you remember her effect, right?"

Serpent Knight Anaconda appeared next to Gandora. (2,500 ATK)

"Gandora, attack directly!" he shouted. "Destructive Scream!"

The Dragon of Destruction let loose a mighty howl, and Vucarik screamed in agony.

Anaconda wasted no time, and hit the evil mercenary hard with his blade.

**(J/H: 1,350) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 300)**

"I end my turn…" said Jalal. "That means Gandora goes to the Graveyard…"

Gandora vanished.

"Make your move…" 

Vucarik looked at the damaged Bells.

"I have to…" he said.

"You leave that spot, we'll consider it a forfeit," said Jalal.

Vucarik snarled at him.

He drew two cards. Then he played a Spell Card.

"I play Supremacy Berry," he said. "Now I gain 2,000 Life Points.

"Then I set a Monster."

A facedown card materialized in front of him.

"This duel is not over yet."

**(J/H: 1,350) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 2,300)**

"Hebi-Na…" said Jalal. "Do the honors."

"You know Jalal…" she replied. "We should do this more often!"

"Please…" said Jalal. "Once we wake up, I just might take that vacation that Judy keeps telling me I should take."

"All right," said Hebi-Na. "I have to skip my Draw Phase because he played Reckless Greed…

"But… I can summon Serpent Knight Krait!"

She threw a card onto her Disk, and a short ophidia dressed in a dark cloak and hood, holding a dagger, appeared in front of her. (500 ATK)

"And in case you didn't realize it," she said, "Krait is a Tuner…

"So I'll Tune him and Anaconda together…"

Krait flew towards the ceiling, and turned into three golden rings. Anaconda followed, and turned into a cluster of stars.

"_The legacy will combine, and the legend will come alive! Unite into a power of greater divinity!"_

**(*1 + *7 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Serpent Knight High Priest Serperior!"_

In another explosion of energy, a powerful-looking ophidia appeared, wearing gold and purple Egyptian vestments, a cape, and a headdress shaped like a golden cobra. He wore golden bracelets, anklets, and a girdle, and held a long, two-bladed sword. (2,800 ATK)

"And when Serperior is Synchro Summoned," continued Hebi-Na, "I can Special Summon a Reptile or Dragon from either Graveyard!"

Des Volstgalph appeared with a roar. (2,200 ATK)

"Sure, its effect is negated," said Hebi-Na, "but in the end, it won't matter…"

Des Volstgalph blasted its energy beam, and Serpentine Princess appeared on the card before it was blown to atoms.

Then High Priest Serperior twirled his weapon above his head. He leapt at Vucarik of the Chains. The demon screamed as the blade slashed across his chest…

More cracks appeared in the Bells of Baphomet…

**(J/H: 1,350) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 0)**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

In its cavern below, the wastrilith screamed. It melted into a large puddle of water.

In the chamber where Hebi-Na had been held hostage, Maramanda screamed too. Then she was reduced to dust, just as the other demons had been.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Vucarik sank to his knees as the whole cathedral trembled, and the Bells of Baphomet fell apart into pieces of broken metal.

"Curse you…" he groaned. "Curse your…"

He didn't get a chance to finish. He collapsed into a stinking pool of ichor and rusted chains.

"Hebi-Na…" said Jalal. "Brace yourself…"

"Huh?" said Hebi-Na.

She realized what he meant as the whole cathedral disintegrated around them. They fell…

But the fall was gentle, like two feathers falling in a soft breeze. They slowly drifted to the ground.

Hebi-Na looked at Jalal.

Then she hugged him.

"Man…" she said. "I _never _want to do _that _again…"

How long Jalal held her, he had no idea…

But eventually, Dr. Gelinas's voice called him to awareness.

"Mr. Stormbringer!" he said.

Jalal slowly woke up. He turned to Hebi-Na, who was waking up too.

She sat up, and looked at Jalal. Then she hugged him again.

"Dr. Gelinas…" said Jalal. "I'd say the experiment was a success…

"Jabels… Maybe you should get Hebi-Na something to eat? She's been fed intravenously for a year now, after all…"

"I'll get right on it sir…" said Jabels. "And I'll be sure to take her carnivorous diet into account…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**HEAVEN'S LOST PROPERTY**** (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Two men and one woman dressed like peasants catching white feathers falling from the sky.

**Card Description: **Both players draw 3 cards, and then discard 2 cards from their hands.

_Note: "Heaven's Lost Property" was first used by Reggie in __the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**HALF UNBREAK**** (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A stream of bubbles shooting out from a central point.

**Card Description: **Select 1 face-up Monster you control. This turn, that Monster cannot be destroyed via battle, and damage you take from battles involving it are reduced by half.

_Note: "Half Unbreak" was first used by Yuma in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 006, and used frequently after that. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**GIANT SPITTING COBRA (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Earth  
><strong>Level:<strong> 5  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 2,000  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,900

**Card Description: **Reduce the ATK of all face-up opposing Monsters by 400 for as long as this card remains face-up on the field.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****MOCCASIN**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Water  
><strong>Level:<strong> 4  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,000  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,800

**Card Description: **When this card is destroyed by battle, you may Special Summon 1 "Serpent Knight" Monster with 1,500 ATK or less from your deck in Attack Position.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****COPPERHEAD**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Earth  
><strong>Level:<strong> 4  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,400  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,200

**Card Description: **When this card is Tributed for the Tribute Summon of a Reptile or Dragon-Type Monster, you may Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Serpent Knight" Monster from your Graveyard, except a "Serpent Knight Copperhead".

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****SIDEWINDER**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Wind  
><strong>Level:<strong> 4  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,800  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,400

**Card Description: **On the turn this card is summoned, you may select 1 face-up Dragon or Reptile-Type Monster. Reduce the ATK of this card by any amount, and increase the amount of the selected Monster by the same amount until the End Phase of the turn. You can only summon 1 "Serpent Knight Sidewinder" per turn.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****COTTONMOUTH**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Water  
><strong>Level:<strong> 4  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,200  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 800

**Card Description: **When this card is destroyed by battle while in Attack Position, you may Special Summon 1 "Serpent Knight" Monster from your Graveyard, except for a "Serpent Knight Cottonmouth".

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****ADDER**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Earth  
><strong>Level:<strong> 6  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,000  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 2,200

**Card Description: **This card cannot be Special Summoned from your deck. "Serpent Knight" Monsters you control except for "Serpent Knight Adder" cannot be destroyed by battle.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****ASP**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Light  
><strong>Level:<strong> 4  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 1,800  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 1,500

**Card Description: **When this card is removed from play by the controller's card effect, you may Special Summon 1 "Serpent Knight" Monster from your Graveyard.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****ANACONDA**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Fire  
><strong>Level:<strong> 7  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 2,500  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 2,000

**Card Description: **When this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle, the controller of the destroyed Monster takes 200 points of damage per Level of the destroyed Monster.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT **** KRAIT**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Tuner/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Earth  
><strong>Level:<strong> 1  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 500  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 200

**Card Description: **When this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a "Serpent Knight" Synchro Monster, the Synchro Summoned Monster cannot be destroyed by card effects during the turn it is Synchro Summoned.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SERPENT KNIGHT ****HIGH PRIEST SERPERIOR**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Reptile/Synchro/Effect  
><strong>Attribute:<strong> Light  
><strong>Level:<strong> 8  
><strong>ATK:<strong> 2,800  
><strong>DEF:<strong> 2,300

**Card Description: **_Reptile-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters_

When this card is Synchro Summoned, Special Summon 1 Reptile or Dragon-Type Monster from either Graveyard and Special Summon it. That Monster's effect is negated, and it is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn.

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**PROLOGUE**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**End of Take**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

One month later…

In an office in Shadowchaser Headquarters, Jalal and Jabels were watching Hebi-Na. She was dressed in a custom tailored office dress and a pair of stylish sunglasses, gathering some papers and filing them into a briefcase.

"I wouldn't have believed this if I wasn't seeing it," said Jabels. "She's going to be the new negotiator for the ophidia?"

"Well…" said Jalal. "She certainly couldn't do a worse job than their last one did…"

"True," said Jabels.

"Besides," said Jalal, "she deserves most of the credit for all that happened when I was in her mind… She actually created Gandora out of her own thoughts… She created a weapon that not only won the duel, but managed to destroy the Bells forever…

"She's more powerful than we thought."

Hebi-Na fastened the briefcase closed.

"Well," she said. "I'm off… I have to take the portal to London and then catch a flight to Istanbul."

"Hebi-Na, wait…" said Jalal. "Before you officially start work… I have a surprise for you…"

He handed her an envelope.

"I had to pull a lot of strings and call in a lot of favors at I2, but…"

Hebi-Na slowly opened the envelope. She took out a set of cards.

She let out a small cry of surprise. It was the Serpent Knights.

"How…" she said.

"These are advance copies," said Jalal. "They should be available to the public in a few months."

"Gee…" she said. "I… I kinda feel sorry I can't give you a real copy of Gandora…"

"Please…" said Jalal. "With a card like that, once is quite is quite enough.

"Anyway Hebi-Na, we're counting on you… I don't know if the legend of the Serpent Knights is true or not, but it might give the ophidia something to believe in…

"And let me tell you something… If it is true, and Osiris did promise the original Serpent Knights that they would be reborn as dragons, he kept that promise. Osiris is well known as a power of Law. And while his clergy is nearly extinct on this world, he might welcome followers again.

"Mention the legend whenever you can… It might convince doubters that Good has more rewards than Evil. A wise man once said that if a sinner were to view the glories of Heaven for even a minute, it would put him on the path to redemption.

"Now, I think you have a plane to catch."

Hebi-Na smiled, and quickly slithered out the door.

"Well…" said Jabels. "You not only saved Hebi-Na, but you destroyed one of the most nefarious curses in existence! And got her a new job in the process. All's well that ends well, wouldn't you say, old man?"

Jalal held his chin.

"Maybe…" he said.

"Sir?" said Jabels.

"Yeah, Vucarik is dead," said Jalal. "The Bells of Baphomet are destroyed, and they'll never bother anyone again…

"All's well that ends well… I'd like to say that too… But Jabels, the thing is… I have a funny feeling that we _missed _something in this whole deal… Something that may well come back to haunt us…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Night fell over Vienna.

In his luxurious office in the University, Dr. Jonathan Gelinas sat at his desk, looking into the fire burning in the fireplace.

His phone rang. He picked it up.

"How is she?" he asked, gravely.

"She's wide awake, and eating," said the voice on the other end. "Her progress is amazing. She might just make a full recovery!"

"Keep me informed," he replied.

He hung up.

A shadowy shape appeared behind him. An annoyed look appeared on Gelinas's face.

"I trust you are satisfied, doctor?" said a sinister voice.

Gelinas scowled, and opened his desk drawer. He took out an object. A green gemstone.

"You came for this, I assume?" he said, handing it to the creature. "As I promised, it collected a sample of the Bells' power when they were destroyed… Pale Night's power… The power of the core of the Abyss…"

"Excellent," said the creature. "This will help our progress immensely…"

"Ask me if I care…" said the doctor.

"Now, now…" said the creature. "Your daughter was foolish to do what she did… You, on the other hand, were smart. You, we could deal with.

"So you got her back unharmed, and we got what we wanted.

"You know, doctor… Your machine is a quite a wondrous device… If you wanted anything else, we could…"

"I am not interested!" snapped Gelinas.

"Ah, well," said the creature. "You can't blame a guy for trying…"

It tossed an envelope on the desk.

"I think this completes the terms of the bargain we made. There's the contract we signed. Do with it whatever you desire.

"I bid you adieu, doctor… At least for now…"

Gelinas waited until it was gone. Then he put on a pair of special reading glasses, and took the paper out of the envelope. He carefully read and reread the document, making sure that it was, indeed, the contract he had signed. He couldn't be too careful.

After a full hour of checking every word, he was sure. He got up, took the document, and threw it into the fire. He waited until the flames had completely consumed it.

The he sighed, and walked over to a portrait of Sigmund Freud on the wall.

He had hated dealing with those creatures… But he'd had no choice. They had been holding his daughter's soul hostage. And was it really wrong to help one evil being defeat another? He had told himself that many times over the past three months.

He looked at the portrait of the founder of psychoanalysis, a man he admired greatly… but one he also disagreed with on many points.

"Genius that you were," he said, "you were still Mundane. There are more than the basic drives in a mortal mind that make us do evil…

"There are other things… More sinister things in the cosmos that tempt us, drive us, compel us to dark deeds…

"Demons try to destroy… But some creatures… They seek to do even worse things…"

– _**Finis –**_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_Thank you for reading "Shadowchasers: Soulscape". After all my monumental projects, this brief "mini-series" was quite refreshing to write. _

_Of special note… Any Shadowchasers author who wishes to use the Serpent Knights, I will gladly grant permission if asked. However, I would prefer to approve first any expansions of the archetype. _

_For those who still want more, fear not… On November 1__st__, "Shadowchasers: Ascension" will begin, as the scene shifts to Beantown with a new look, new characters, some familiar faces, and a few new surprises. _

_Be here. _


End file.
